The Marauders: Year Three
by Melissitchka
Summary: Before they were Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, they were just Remus, Peter, Sirius and James, four Third Year Hogwarts students trying to survive being thirteen.
1. Camping

_Author's note: Year Three is dedicated to Chocolate Taco (yup, the entire thing) since one of her last reviews pointed out to me that 'school sucks' (indeed it does at times) but even more so because she claimed to be putting in "at least 200 theater hours" which is exactly what I'm trying to do, too. None the less, I decided to keep writing anyway (insomnia will do that to you). Happy reading! :0)_   
  
  


**Camping**

  
  
    It had been a long summer so far, the longest Peter could ever remember. He longed for the boredom of the previous summer. Weekly he received owls from Remus, Sirius and James, all filled with more disturbing news than the previous one.   
  
    Remus's grandfather was ill and both Remus and his grandmother were worried about him. On top of that, rumors had been spreading that You-Know-Who (Peter shook his head,_ V-v-voldemort, you big baby, if the others can call him that, you can, too._) was trying to enlist Dark Creatures, especially vampires, giants and werewolves into his slowly growing army. This made Remus even more fearful of how people would react if they found out about him.   
  
    Sirius's letters were all about his family. His cousin Bellatrix couldn't wait to get out of Hogwarts and join up with the Death Eaters. His brother Regulus looked up to Bellatrix as though she were a goddess and, being devoid of the ability to think for himself, he too couldn't wait to join up with the Death Eaters (_Primarily to please their mother,_ Peter thought sadly. _That's something Sirius has given up on completely_.)   
  
    James's letters were the worst by far in Peter's opinion. His father was working hard against Voldemort and the entire family was a target because of it. Peter held his breath every day when he met up with Lily to read the _Daily Prophet_, certain that one day the Potters names, all of them, would emblazon the front page.   
  
    Even in Little Whinging he couldn't escape the fear as he had last year. Lily Evans had been true to her word and subscribed to the _Daily Prophet_ as soon as school had let out and the two met daily to read it, fearful of seeing a schoolmates name in bold print.   
  
    Yet somehow, despite all the rumors and the fear, nothing seemed to be happening. As the Wizarding world waited with baited breath for Voldemort's next move, he seemed hesitant to make one.   
  
     "So how old is she, Peter?"   
  
    Peter shook his head, attempting to clear it, and tried to remember what they had been discussing. "Oh, right. Only a few months, she was born back while we were at Hogwarts, but to listen to the way Sirius raves about her, you'd think she was the most amazing child ever."   
  
     "But a metamorphmagus? Really, I've read about them, they're quite rare."   
  
    Peter smiled, "You've read about everything, Lily. Yeah, I suppose. He's trying to teach her how to say Sirius… I don't think she's even six months old yet."   
  
    Lily laughed, "Well I'm glad Sirius managed to get away from that horrible family of his for a few days."   
  
    The two were sitting in Lily's room on Privet Drive. The weather outside was unbearably hot and humid, so Mr. and Mrs. Evans had agreed to allow the two to remain in the house while they went to work. Petunia was supposed to be there to watch over them, but she'd left immediately after they had, threatening the two with death and disembowelment if they told the Evans's that she'd left.   
  
     "How's Melissa doing?"   
  
    Lily smiled wryly, "She's working for her dad again. She said that her mum and dad refused to stop living their lives just because of the attack… but they sent her little brother to stay at her grandparents. They wanted to send her too, and she's going later in the summer, but she got them to agree to let her stay with them for a bit."   
  
     "And news from Becca, Tessa or Alice?"   
  
    At that Lily burst into laughter, "Becca turned her cousin Minnie into a newt. She was stuck like that for four days. When they managed to turn her back, the family decided it might be best if Becca went back to Britain."   
  
     "Couldn't she get in trouble for that?"   
  
     "Oh, she did. Official warning from the Ministry," Lily said, her eyes widening as she shook her head. "But you know Becca, she just finds it all amusing." The pretty red head flopped back on her bed. "Do you suppose he's given up, Peter? It feels too quiet. I mean… maybe Voldemort's realized…"   
  
     "Realized what, Lily?" Peter asked sadly, standing up from where he'd been sitting on the floor and crossing over to look out her window. "That he's a bloody lunatic? I don't know why it's so quiet…" He shook his head. "Can we talk about something else?"   
  
    He kicked at a brightly wrapped box, and then leaned over to pick it up and shake it. "What is this?"   
  
    Lily glanced up to see what he was talking about, "Alice's birthday gift. I'm going to give it to her next week."   
  
     "What is it?"   
  
     "A big box of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. She loves the stuff… it's like an unhealthy obsession."   
  
    Peter chuckled and nodded as he easily recalled the fact that Alice usually _was_ chewing gum.   
  
    Lily sighed and rolled over onto her stomach. She began digging under her bed. "Ah ha!" She sat up and unrolled a parchment, "It appears our old pal Boger the Ugly has returned in full force and attempted to take over the Ministry several centuries ago."   
  
    Peter groaned, "Not History of Magic. Sweet Merlin, Lily, you can kill a fun summer day quicker than anyone I know."   
  
    She flashed him a grin and tossed him a rolled up piece of parchment and a quill. "Might as well get your homework out of the way. Come on, Peter, didn't you say the other blokes were coming to stay with you next week? Going camping or some sort of male bonding nonsense? You might as well get this done now instead of scrambling to finish it during the last week of vacation, like last year."   
  
    Peter glared at her but settled in at her desk to work on his holiday homework while Lily triple checked hers on her bed.   


~~*~~

  
    "Remember now, we're all _Muggles_," Peter emphasized to the other three boys. They stood in front of the Pettigrew house.   
  
     "Explain to me exactly why Muggles feels the need to wake before the crack of dawn to go on this camping expedition?" Remus moaned and yawned at the same time.   
  
     "Where do these go?" James sleepily gestured towards the four back packs that were heaped on the porch.   
  
     "Well, they'll go in the car, with us. We packed everything else last night. But we've got to wait for Emily and Marietta to get here." Peter sat down on the porch, hugging his knees to his stomach.   
  
     "Your sisters?" Sirius asked, bouncing around excitedly.   
  
     "Mmhmmm," Peter replied sleepily, resting his head against the railing. He glanced to his right and noticed that Remus had curled right up on the porch, using one of their back packs as a pillow and gone back to sleep.   
  
    Sirius plopped down next to James and managed to engage the groggy, messy haired boy in some half conscious Quidditch talk. This continued until two cars pulled up simultaneously to the front of the Pettigrew home.   
  
    James and Sirius stopped talking long enough to watch two girls who looked remarkably like Peter with longer hair jump from the passenger seats and run squealing towards one another. The one in the plaid shirt and jeans looked as though she might be younger to James and the other was clearly pregnant. As the two women embraced, two men emerged from the vehicles and shook hands.   
  
    Suddenly the attention of the two women was diverted towards Peter, who was nodding off against the railing and hadn't even noticed their arrival. They swooped down on him and he let out a surprised, but pleased, yell.   
  
    "Oh my goodness Peter, look at you."   
  
    "What're they feeding you at that school of yours? You're huge!"   
  
    "That's nice, Em. Really nice. You look _healthy_, Peter."   
  
    "Always tactful, Mare, really though. Oh… I've missed you Pete. Give your big sister another hug."   
  
    Peter broke away from the two women with an embarrassed grin on his face. "It's too early for this," he muttered, but there was happiness clear in his voice.   
  
    "Marietta," Mrs. Pettigrew exclaimed from behind the boys, as she pushed her way through the screen door. "Oh my baby's having a baby. Goodness, look at you." Mrs. Pettigrew grabbed her daughter into a big hug.   
  
    The woman with the large belly that James had now narrowed down to being Marietta laughed. The man James assumed was her husband walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.   
  
    "Why Eugene Travers," Mrs. Pettigrew acknowledged as she hugged her son-in-law. "What have you got to say for yourself?" She put her hands on her hips and inclined her head towards her pregnant daughter, a small grin trying to break through on her lips.   
  
    "Only that this child has got some insane sort of craving for pickles and pineapples at horrid hours of the night… and I seem to recall talking with the mailman once, he mentioned an affinity for pineapples, oddly enough," Eugene joked as Marietta slapped him good naturedly on the shoulder.   
  
    During this encounter, Mr. Pettigrew had approached the group and welcomed his other daughter and her husband home. Mrs. Pettigrew then turned to them.   
  
    "Well, Emily Andrews?" she asked, her hands remaining on her hips.   
  
    "Well what, mum?" the other daughter (_Emily_, James reminded himself) asked, thoroughly bewildered.   
  
    "You've never allowed your older sister to upstage you before, when can we be expecting twins?"   
  
    "Twins?" Both Emily and her husband blanched at the thought. "Gabriel and I've decided to wait a bit to start a family, mum." James saw Mrs. Pettigrew open her mouth, but Emily cut her off. "Don't start, mum. You'll have plenty of grandchildren, I'm sure. Why don't you start on Peter to find a nice girl or something?"   
  
    "I'm thirteen," he squeaked from where he stood, turning red at the thought of creating grandchildren with some 'nice girl'.   
  
    Emily chuckled, "There's nothing wrong with my memory, Peter. I know how old you are." She shook her head amusedly. "Well, are we going to get going, or what? Can you all even fit in there?" She gestured towards the packed station wagon.   
  
    "Two of you can drive down with us," Marietta offered.   
  
    "That'll work just fine then, dear. Put your bags in the car, boys," Mr. Pettigrew instructed as he locked up the house.   
  
    The three boys looked at one another and then Sirius broke the stillness. "I call Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew's car." He grabbed his back pack, which happened to be the one Remus had claimed as a pillow, thus causing his head to thud into the cement of the porch, and dashed towards the packed station wagon. Remus shook his head half consciously and picked up his back pack.   
  
    "I'm not riding with _that_," he gestured in Sirius's direction. "It's far too early to deal with him."   
  
    "Well then, you're coming with us," Marietta said graciously. "The blue car, come on then." She and Remus started across the lawn quietly. James shrugged and picked up his own back pack, then he crossed the lawn and piled into the Pettigrew's station wagon next to Sirius who was having far too much fun rolling the car window up and down.   
  
    Peter, grabbing his own back pack, hastened towards Sirius, hissing, "Act like a bloody _Muggle_, you loon," at him, shot James a pleading look, and then crossed to his sister's car, climbing in next to Remus, who was already fast asleep again.   
  
    A few moments later, Eugene and Marietta climbed into the car and the four were off, following the Pettigrews with Gabriel and Emily behind them. Peter shook his head worriedly as he saw Sirius in the car in front of them gesturing excitedly at the stop light and even James seemed far too interested.   
  
    Peter hoped Eugene and Marietta hadn't noticed until Marietta giggled. "You certainly found some characters to become friends with Peter. You'd think they'd never seen a stop light before."   
  
    Peter just sighed and sunk into his seat, thinking that it was going to be a long week.   


~~*~~

  
    "So we get to play with fire?" Sirius asked that afternoon, his eyes had been widened in a perpetual state of excitement since their arrival earlier that day.   
  
    "No," Remus and Peter both replied quickly.   
  
    "I really don't think _play_ is the correct word, Sirius," Remus continued quickly, looking imploringly at Peter.   
  
    "No, no, definitely _not_ play," Peter agreed. "And," the boy reached cautiously for the box of matches his excited friend held in his hands, "I think maybe I'd best do this. Erm… you lot can go find some more sticks. We'll need a lot more than what we've got here tonight."   
  
    The boys had a large tent set up several meters away from the three the adults had set up and it gave them all a feeling of independence. Setting it up had been rather uneventful aside from Peter occasionally hissing at James or Sirius because of their comments ('bloody hell, how do they do this without magic, Pete?' from James and 'amazing, bloody amazing' from Sirius, which was actually a constant observation from him).   
  
    Peter shook his head as he thought of earlier when Emily had asked him if Sirius was 'alright, you know what I mean Peter? Is he all there?'. Although in most other circumstances Peter would've found that question quite amusing, here he had just groaned and walked away, leaving his older sister slightly confused and rather amused.   
  
    With years of family camping excursions under his belt, Peter was able to quickly tent several sticks in the fire pit and light a good sized fire. He looked up as he heard footsteps approaching and smiled to see Marietta slowly waddling over towards the boys' campsite.   
  
    "Mare," he acknowledged with a grin.   
  
    "Peter," she replied, slowly lowering herself to the ground next to him.   
  
    "Are you sure you should do that?" he asked anxiously.   
  
    "Sit?" She looked at him and rolled her eyes.   
  
    "On the ground."   
  
    This time she groaned aloud, and Peter, misinterpreting it, jumped up to run for Eugene.   
  
    "Would you sit down, you bloody lunatic. I'm fine. I'm just pregnant, it's not a terminal illness," she patted the ground next to her and the chubby boy sat back down. "So how are you? I rarely ever see you anymore it seems. A few days at Christmas and that's all… How's school?"   
  
    "School is good," he replied cautiously, jabbing a spare stick into the fire.   
  
    "You met these friends of yours there?"   
  
    "Mmm," Peter made a sound of agreement. She poked him lightly. "What?"   
  
    "You never used to shut up, is all, and now you're all quiet and reserved whenever Em or I are around. When you were little, I would've killed for a moment of silence with you… now I just wish you'd talk. What's your favorite class in school?"   
  
    Peter froze for a moment and then blurted out, "Biology."   
  
    "They already teach biology at your school? Good heavens, they didn't start that until Fourth Year at Smeltings," she mused.   
  
    _Herbology… biology… they both deal with plants, not entirely a lie, right Peter?_ he thought to himself. _Nice quick thinking, you aren't a Marauder for nothing after all._  
  
    "Yeah well they're… progressive," he said, not even entirely sure what the word implied.   
  
    "Certainly seems like it. Mum and dad say you're happy there. Those three are your dorm mates, then? That Remus seems nice enough when he's awake."   
  
    "Yes well… he's… sick a lot. And yes, they're my dorm mates." _We really should just tell them. I mean… for Merlin's sake, Marietta could have a magical child, it skips tons of generations sometimes, they say. I don't see why Mum and Dad want to keep it a secret from them._ He shook his head.   
  
    "Do you play and sports, what do you do for fun over there, Peter?" She peered curiously at him.   
  
    "I… er… no," He stumbled, and then panicked at her inquisitive look. "We get detentions for fun," he blurted out and then realized how completely ridiculous that was. "Well, not for fun… what we do that _causes_ the detentions… that's fun… I mean… sweet Merlin-" He stopped short. _Oh please, oh please, oh please tell me I didn't just say 'sweet Merlin' aloud. Oh no, oh no…_he chanced a glance over at his oldest sister, who had one hand on her stomach, rubbing it slightly and a faraway look in her eyes.   
  
    The silence grew uncomfortably until Marietta broke it, "Sweet. Merlin."   
  
    Peter tried to chuckle as he rambled. "I know what you're going to say 'kids these days and their slang'… that's what Em always says when I say something weird…" He looked pleadingly at her.   
  
    She opened her mouth and closed it immediately as the sounds of the other three Marauders became heard through the nearby trees. She glanced at Peter very curiously and then began the huge effort it took her to get up. The blonde boy quickly jumped to his feet to help pull her up.   
  
    "I love you, Peter. You know that?" she asked, looking him right in the eye.   
  
    "Of course Mare, I love you too," he muttered, looking down into the dirt as only thirteen year old boys can do as they declare their love and still manage to mean every word.   
  
    She started back over towards where the adults had all gathered lawn chairs and were chatting by their own fire as the three boys burst through the trees each carrying an assortment of objects.   
  
    "Shoes?" Peter asked, turning his attention to Sirius. "Why are you carrying dirty, old shoes?"   
  
    "For the fire," he answered simply, getting ready to toss one into the flames.   
  
    "_How_ did you misinterpret _sticks_ to be _shoes_?" Peter responded, completely bewildered as he started at the pile of mismatching shoes the boy had clearly found deserted in the woods, which he now held proudly as though they were a prized possession and he should be praised for finding such perfect specimens. "Shoes…?"   


~~*~~

  
    "Veritaserum? You brought… Veritaserum. Why do you even own that?" Remus asked, staring at Sirius.   
  
    "I don't, Bellatrix does. I nicked it from her house before I left."   
  
    Remus groaned and rolled his eyes. It was their final evening camping after a week in the woods. The adults had left the boys to themselves primarily and most of the week had been dedicated to teaming up against each other making one another miserable. The other three boys were quickly surprised at how adept Peter was at this in the Muggle world, but the short, chubby boy only laughed it off and claimed that it was a side effect to being a little brother.   
  
    "Oh come on Remus, don't be a prat," Sirius said, preparing to open the deck of cards.   
  
    "Please don't Sirius, you know I don't like that game," Remus looked to the other two boys who just shrugged. Once the deck was opened, the four would be magically bound to playing a full round of the game.   
  
    "Lighten up, Remmy," Sirius goaded, opening the deck and tipping the cards into his hand. "It's our last night out here and then we won't even see each other until we go back to school."   
  
    "In a whole whopping week, you mean," the brown hair boy replied dryly, eyeing the cards with distaste.   
  
    James chuckled and doled out four pieces of paper from his back pack as Peter scrambled to find four writing utensils.   
  
    "Alright then, first question, what was your most embarrassing moment?" Sirius stared thoughtfully up at the roof of the tent and then began to jot down his answer. "Well?"   
  
    "You first, Seer, this was your idea," James muttered, glaring angrily down at his paper and already regretting ever having decided to play this game.   
  
    "I was attacked by a cow when I was eight. There was… an incident… udders and an angry bull…" Sirius hesitantly replied.   
  
    The other three boys burst into laughter.   
  
    "Good Merlin, Sirius, what did the bull _do_ to you?"   
  
    "Is _that_ why you're scared of cows?"   
  
    Peter just rolled gleefully on the floor laughing hysterically.   
  
    "Well suffice to say cows don't want to be ridden like ponies, alright?" Sirius was slightly red but grinning affably.   
  
    "Peter!"   
  
    Peter whirled towards the door of the tent as he heard his father's voice, tinged with fear, calling his name and the jangle of the zipper as he began to open the tent flap.   
  
    "Dad?" the boy responded curiously, the laughter quickly dying in the tent.   
  
    The zipper finished sliding and the flap fell open, Mr. Pettigrew was silhouetted against the moonlight in the gap.   
  
    "You boys need to come over to our tents, right now." His voice left no room for questions and the four boys immediately tumbled out of the tent and rushed over to the large tent Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew had spent the week in.   
  
    The five of them hurried inside and found the other five adults already inside, Eugene holding Marietta. Peter noticed that Gabriel and Emily were also sitting closely and Mrs. Pettigrew heaved a sigh of relief as they entered.   
  
    "What's going on, Mum?" Peter asked.   
  
    "We don't know," Emily replied quietly. "There were some odd lights and…" She trailed off, sniffling.   
  
    "We were out collecting firewood earlier and I heard several screams. I ran back towards camp to make sure everyone here was alright," Gabriel picked up where Emily trailed off. "The screams were from the opposite direction, but… then there were those strange lights… even more of them."   
  
    "I'm sure it's nothing, dear," Mrs. Pettigrew cut them off quickly. "But just in case… it all seems a bit odd, so I think it'd be best if we all spent the evening together… in here."   
  
    The four boys looked at one another, Peter watched as James mouthed 'screams' and Sirius 'strange lights'.   
  
    "I know it's a bit cramped, but it'll do for a night," Mrs. Pettigrew continued, unaware of the four boys reactions. "Then tomorrow I'm sure the police will be here and they can tell us what happened."   
  
    The group sat in silence for a long while until Gabriel and Emily curled up together in the corner, a few moments later Gabriel's loud snores were reverberating through the tent.   
  
     Slowly the rest of the occupants of the tent drifted off into sleep until Peter thought he was the only one still lying awake.   
  
    _Strange lights and screams… there is just no way that there could be Death Eaters **here**, is there? It's just some lunatic Muggle I'm sure… none of us even have our wands. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. We should've known better than to go anywhere without them. Just a week ago Lily and I were saying we should constantly be on alert, it's been too long since-_ His thoughts were cut off by a very quiet voice next to him.   
  
    "You never did tell Em or me where those scars on your neck came from Peter? Your friend Remus seems to have a similar one of his hand."   
  
    Peter jumped, startled, and turned his head to look at his sister. She had swept up her blonde hair that was the exact same shade as his own under her head to act as a pillow and propped her feet up on her husband. Her hands were gently clasped around her large stomach and her blue eyes, tinged with grey, were barely visible in the night.   
  
    "Oh for Pete's sake, Mare, you just took ten years off my life," Peter whispered to her.   
  
    She chuckled softly, "Do you remember when you were little you were convinced it was for _your_ sake? Sorry to startle you, I don't sleep well these days."   
  
    "I can't believe I'm going to be an uncle."   
  
    "You're avoiding the subject."   
  
    Peter thought for a moment. "There was a very large spider… it attacked me at school. Remus pulled it off my neck and it bit him, too. That's why we both have scars."   
  
    "Most spiders wouldn't leave a mark like that."   
  
    There was silence.   
  
    "It was big."   
  
    The crickets chirped outside.   
  
    "You really should get some sleep, Mare. That can't be good for the baby."   
  
    She chuckled again, more softly then before, "I'm so sick of everyone telling me what's good for the baby… as though I'd ever do anything to harm it. I swear you've been worse than Eugene this week."   
  
    "Well, I don't get to worry about you often enough," Peter responded with a small grin that no one could see.   
  
    Marietta made a small murmur of mutual consent. "You should get some sleep Peter, we've got to deal with this mess in the morning and pack up to head home."   
  
    "Yes, Marietta," Peter sing-songingly intoned, smirking, as he curled up into a ball and moved to rest his head on his older sister's arm.   
  
    "Goodnight, Pete."   
  
    Peter yawned, "'Night, Mare."   
  
  
  
  
  
    _Author's (2nd) Note: I usually try to wait until the story is almost done to start posting, but I've got insane writers block and about fifty pages written. Usually fifty pages is the halfway point in my stories and it's like December or January… currently I'm in like the second week of September… so this one might be a little longer than the others and the updates will take longer to put up. So… be patient? Pleeeeeeease? Cause I initially didn't think **any** of this would go up until my Christmas break. And if any of you have any ideas for pranks… I'll love you forever. Thanks for reading! _   



	2. The End of Summer

  


**The End of Summer**

  
  
  
  
    The Pettigrews, Remus, James and Sirius sat at the kitchen table eating their supper and discussing the events of the previous night. The entire group had returned to the Pettigrew home early in the afternoon and shortly after arriving the Andrews and Travers had headed off to their own homes, both claiming long drives. (Although Emily had leaned over to Sirius and muttered a rather amusing comparison of Mrs. Pettigrew's cooking to prison food and rat poison.)   
  
    "So they had no idea what happened?" James asked once more, spearing a piece of broccoli with his fork.   
  
    "All they were able to figure out was that the campers staying at the site disappeared and there was a clear sign of struggle," Mr. Pettigrew repeated sadly.   
  
    Mrs. Pettigrew shivers, "It's so horrid. To think if that lunatic had only picked a campsite a few over… it could've been any of us."   
  
    Mr. Pettigrew stepped in quickly to change the subject, "Are you boys all packed? Are you going to be traveling by… fire… again? How is this to work?"   
  
    "Well, my mum and dad are going to pop in and travel back with me, I think," James said.   
  
    "Pop in, dear?" Mrs. Pettigrew asked, as she spooned more mashed potatoes onto all four boys plates, despite their protests of being full.   
  
    "Er… apparate. They just sort of appear… out of thin air, I suppose you'd say," James amended, poking at the mashed potatoes with his fork.   
  
    "And you, dear?" she turned to Remus.   
  
    "Oh, I'll just be going by Floo. My grandparents will meet me on the other side," Remus replied quickly.   
  
    "Sirius?"   
  
    "Oh, I'm heading over to the Potters from here and going to Kings Cross with them," Sirius told the woman as he knocked his silverware purposefully on the floor.   
  
    "Oh dear, let me get you another set," Mrs. Pettigrew got up from the table to get the silverware and all four boys quickly scraped the extra mashed potatoes into the fern that sat in the middle of the table. At the last second, they remembered Mr. Pettigrew and glanced over to him. He appeared to be biting back laughter as he shoved his own extra mashed potatoes on top of theirs and quickly dumped some dirt on top, exchanging a conspiratorial wink with the boys who all stared back at him in shock.   
  
    "Here you are, Sirius," Mrs. Pettigrew placed the silverware down in front of him. "My goodness, you all are certainly hungry tonight. More potatoes, anyone?"   
  
    "No," the five males at the table chorused.   
  
    "Oh, we're just far too full, Mrs. Pettigrew," Remus quickly amended.   
  
    "But it was a lovely dinner dear," Mr. Pettigrew added, rising from the table to put his plate in the sink.   
  
    Mrs. Pettigrew opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by a loud 'pop' and two voices calling out from the hallway.   
  
    "Hello?" A distinctly masculine voice resounded.   
  
     "Mr. or Mrs. Pettigrew?" A female one followed.   
  
    Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew both looked frightened for a moment until they noticed James' large grin. "That's my parents. Sirius and I'll go grab out stuff."   
  
    "I'd best get mine and head out too," Remus added, following the other two boys out of the room.   
  
    "Lovely to see you again, Mr. Potter," Mr. Pettigrew rose to shake hands.   
  
    Mrs. Pettigrew and Mrs. Potter both did the same.   
  
    "Oh dear, I'm so glad to see that you're all alright. We were so worried when we read the _Daily Prophet_ this morning. An attack right were James said you'd be camping. I nearly had a heart attack," Mrs. Potter said quickly.   
  
    "The _Daily Prophet_?" Mr. Pettigrew asked.   
  
    "Our newspaper, like the _London Times_, I'd reckon," Mr. Potter replied and then turned to Peter, "Good evening, Peter."   
  
    The chubby, blonde boy grinned at the man who was an older, taller replica of James Potter, "Good evening, Mr. Potter."   
  
    "But what was that incident doing in your newspaper?" Mr. Pettigrew asked, still confused.   
  
    "Well they attacked the campers with the Cruciatus Curse. Horrible really… they're off at the Ministry having their memories modified," Mrs. Potter replied, sitting down at the table when Mrs. Pettigrew gestured for her to do so.   
  
    "Excuse me?" Mrs. Pettigrew asked just as Peter muttered in a horrified tone.   
  
    "The _Cruciatus Curse_…"   
  
    "What is that, Peter?" Mrs. Pettigrew turned to face her son.   
  
    Peter paused for a moment, "It's… a curse, which means it's not really… good. It hurts and it's illegal."   
  
    "Muggle torture, the lunatic seems to have toned down his attacks. Going more for intimidation and torture than death recently, most of it doesn't even make it into the papers," Mr. Potter said, sitting down next to his wife.   
  
    "The lunatic?" Mr. Pettigrew asked, concerned.   
  
    "Voldemort," Mr. Potter told him. Peter winced at the name.   
  
    "Who's this Voldemort man, Peter?" His father was peering intently at him.   
  
    Mr. Potter raised an eyebrow and looked over to Peter, "You haven't told your parents about this?"   
  
    "Well it's not as though there's anything they can do, now is there…" he mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.   
  
    "Well then, who is he?" Mrs. Pettigrew asked.   
  
    "A dark wizard who has absolutely barbaric ideas about Muggle born witches and wizards," Mrs. Potter replied, a look of anger splaying across her pretty features. "Unfortunately, the mindset of some of the older wizarding families is that Muggleborns are inferior. Insane if you ask me, I'm half and half and a far better witch than many Purebloods that I've known… at any rate, initially they just wanted legislation that put a lot of restrictions on Muggleborns… the man behind all of this, Voldemort, has recently upped the stakes in his campaign."   
  
    Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew sat silently for a moment. Finally, Mr. Pettigrew opened his mouth to speak.   
  
    "What's being done to stop the man?"   
  
    Mr. Potter replied immediately, "Everything possible, there's a group of us attempting to track him and his followers down. They're good, but I'm absolutely certain that, in the end, we're better. And we will get him soon."   
  
    A large racket distracted them as the three teenage boys stumbled into the kitchen with their trunks.   
  
    "Ready Dad?" James asked, looking to his father.   
  
    Mr. Potter smiled at his son, stood up and shook Mr. Pettigrew's hand again, followed by Mrs. Pettirgrew's. Mrs. Potter did the same.   
  
    "You boys go on now, we're right behind you."   
  
    "And my house had better still be standing when we arrive, Sirius Black," Mrs. Potter glared at him sternly.   
  
    "We won't be more than five minutes dear," Mr. Potter said to his wife.   
  
    She gave Sirius an appraising look and then turned to her husband. "You underestimate him, Alexander."   
  
    Mr. Potter raised and eyebrow at Sirius, who attempted to look back at him innocently.   
  
    James chuckled and pushed his friend towards the fire.   
  
    "See you next week, Peter, try to be on time this year, huh?" Sirius called over his shoulder before stepping into the fire.   
  
    "Bye, Pete," James said to his friend and then followed Sirius through the flames.   
  
    "Alright then, Remus?" Peter asked his remaining friend.   
  
    "Alright, help me get this trunk in the fire, would you, Peter?" Remus pushed the trunk he'd packed for the week towards the flames and the two boys maneuvered it into position. "See you in a week, mate." In a flash of green, he was gone.   
  
    "We'd best be off, it's not wise to leave Sirius Black unattended for long periods of time," Mrs. Potter told the Pettigrews with a smile.   
  
    "We're well aware," Mrs. Pettigrew replied, something catching her eye causing her to lean in closer to the fern on the kitchen table. A look crossed her face but passed quickly as she bid the Potters a final farewell before they apparated right out of the kitchen.   
  
    Mrs. Pettigrew shoved her hand into the fern and scooped out a handful of mashed potatoes.   
  
    Looking to her husband and son, she asked, "Would either of you gentleman care to explain this?"   


~~*~~

  
    Remus sat on his trunk in the entrance hall to his grandparents lodge. In an hour he and his grandmother would leave for Kings Cross and he was going to be certain they were on time. The last week hadn't been so bad, Remus had spent most of it going over his homework, fielding frantic owls from James, Sirius and Peter begging for help on the massive load of homework that they all only seemed to begin that week, and catching up on his reading, just as he'd planned on doing.   
  
    Of course, he'd also kept up his weekly correspondence with Melissa, too, but that wasn't something he planned to admit to many people. He'd been scared to death when he tied that first letter to Aziza, his grandparents ancient owl, but it had been worth it when the old barn owl had returned with Mel's messy handwriting scribbled on the parchment. He kept all of the letters in his trunk, something he'd decided to do after a long debate over the possible discovery by another Marauder, but instead of opening his trunk to get them out to reread them for the hundredth time, he reached into his pocket to reread his favorite.   
  
    _Remus,  
        Well that was a surprise, your owl showing up at my window, but it was a nice one. Any reminder of Hogwarts is nice during the summer. I'm not sure what you want us to talk about, but if we can come up with something, then sure, lets owl back and forth this summer.   
        I can tell you about my day if you want. I hammered my fingers. It hurt. You know what a hammer is right? If you don't, I'll explain in the next letter. Tessa came over earlier and we finished our Transfiguration homework. I think Lily would die if she knew.   
        Love from,   
            Melissa 
_  
  
    _Love from_. It was the first letter she wrote back to him. He'd spent a better part of the summer daydreaming that someday he'd be able to show it to her and explain why he'd kept it and she's laugh and then… Remus shook his head and shoved the letter back into his pocket.   
  
    He could hear his grandmother shuffling around in the kitchen and his grandfather coughing in their bedroom. It was so different here than how it had been at home. There his mother would've been obeying every little whim of his father and his father… well on good days, his father would be passed out in a drunken stupor, on bad days he'd be wide awake and more than happy to belittle his only son.   
  
    Remus closed his eyes and thought farther back to the dim and steadily growing dimmer memories of how it had been before he'd been bitten. His father had been proud of him; he'd walked, talked and shown magical ability well before even the most optimistic predictions. His mother had been the prettiest woman ever in his mind, an idea that slid far away once his father began drinking…   
  
    Remus winced and the cleared his mind. _Control, Remus. That's how we do it. Control everything you can and you can control this. Just don't think about it. It's good here and your grandparents love you even if you are a werewolf. _  
  
    That thought led him to wonder how the Marauders were getting on with their Animagi work. _I really shouldn't hope they succeed. It's got to be dangerous. Actually, I'm dead certain it is, since none of them will really tell me what goes into all of it. I've read that book James gave me cover to cover, but it doesn't detail the full process… he must have other books for that._ The boy winced again and made a dreadful face at the thought of his best friends doing something dangerous because of him. _They're very talented, even Peter is sometimes, but I don't think they'll get it down. I don't know what I'll do if they do. 'Thanks for trying guys, but I absolutely forbid you to come with me because **something, anything** could go wrong.'_ Remus shook his head. _They'd never let me get away with that. I just hope they never get it._  
  
    _**But part of you hopes they do.**_  
  
    "You again." _Holy Harpies, I said that aloud._  
  
    _**Gran is going to think your mad.**  
  
    She's already expressed a concern about that issue, as you well know.   
  
    **It's the whole suicide rate thing, I suppose.**  
  
    Isn't it always? Either I scare people away because of what I am or I scare people away because of what I might do because of what I am. It's a lovely life, really.   
  
    **You don't scare them. They worry, yes, but they're not scared. **  
  
    I know.   
  
    **That's why you want them to succeed, to be able to keep you company, to stay with you all the time. **  
  
    But something could go wrong. Hell, knowing us, something will go wrong.   
  
    **You don't care, deep down, you just want to run wild and free… with them. The wolf wants company.**
_  
  
    Remus let out a quiet, harsh laugh.   
  
_    The wolf wants dinner, and if they do this incorrectly, that's exactly what he'll get.   
  
    **They won't do it incorrectly, but even if they do, you'll fight, they'll win and they'll get their chance to try… even if it does compromise everything you hold dear. **  
  
    Even if they think they've managed it, I'm not going to let them try because they are the
_ only _thing I hold dear and I won't let anything happen to any of them, especially because of me._   
  
    "Ready then, sweetheart?" the elderly Mrs. Lupin called from the kitchen. "Come eat something before we leave."   
  
    "I'm really not hungry, Gran."   
  
    "Remus, you wouldn't disappoint your grandmother and insult her cooking by rejecting something so simple as a piece of toast when I know good and well you'll be gorging yourself on chocolate frogs on the Hogwarts Express," her good natured voice chided from the kitchen, causing Remus to roll his eyes, but rise off his trunk and join her there.   
  
    He sat down and buttered a piece of toast, then began picking at it.   
  
    "Are you excited? A Third Year, my you do grow up so fast, I can remember when you were small enough to fit in the palm of your grandfather's hand," Mrs. Lupin's eyes took on a faraway reminiscent look.   
  
    Remus quickly cleared his throat, "We'd really better go, Gran. My friend Peter nearly missed the train last September and I really don't want that to happen to me."   
  
    His grandmother shook her head slightly and smiled across at her grandson, "Of course dear, gather up your things and we'll head out."   
  
    The two Lupins rose from the table, Remus several inches taller than his short grandmother and cleared the plates away quickly.   
  
    "Are you going to say good-bye you your grandfather, Remus?" Her voice broke the silence, sadly and quietly as both were sure the man wouldn't live to see his grandson return at Christmas.   
  
    "Of course, Gran… I'll go now," Remus replied, equally quiet and slowly made his way over to their bedroom.   
  
    He knocked on the door and let himself in, "Morning, Gramps. We're leaving soon."   
  
    The old man offered a weak smile that in its heyday was identical to the one Remus had. He motioned for his grandson to enter the room and sit down. Once Remus settled himself, the old man opened his mouth.   
  
    "Dark times are coming, my boy," Mr. Lupin rasped. Remus winced, but nodded. "Your father was a prat and… I'm sorry. I failed him and in doing so, I failed you."   
  
    "No you didn't, you and Gram are-"  
  
    The elderly man cut him off, "But there's no use living in the past and dredging up regrets." He paused a moment and took a deep, rattling breath. "You'll have to choose a side, boy, and the dark side will seem the easiest decision."   
  
    "I'd _never_ go-"  
  
    "I didn't say you would," the old man's hand lightly clasped the younger one's. "But it always seems easiest. Just remember, remember for always, that what is simple and what is easy is rarely ever right. You need to decide what you believe and stand for it."   
  
    "Yes, sir," Remus replied solemnly. There was a pregnant silence. Just as Remus was about to get up and leave, thinking the old man had fallen back asleep, he broke the silence again.   
  
    "There's a piece of paper in the trunk at the end of the bed. I think it'll help you… when I was at Hogwarts, well… my friends and I never managed to complete it. I overheard something you said once this summer and thought it might be useful to you and your mates."   
  
    Remus walked over and opened the trunk.   
  
    "The rolled up bit with the green ribbon, aye that's it," Mr. Lupin rasped. "Don't open it until you're on the train." He smiled ruefully, but the smile was still full of love. "Your Gran wouldn't appreciate this the way we do."   
  
    "Yes, sir," Remus said, a lump forming in his throat as he glanced over at the man who'd taken him in and loved him after his parents had died.   
  
    "Remus!"   
  
    Both men turned their heads towards the door at the sound of Remus's grandmother hollering down the hallway.   
  
    "We've got to head off now, dear."   
  
    "Goodbye, Gramps. I'll see you over Christmas," Remus said to the frail old man in the bed.   
  
    "Perhaps you will, my boy. Have a good term now. Don't torture your Gran with too many owls from McGonagall, alright?"   
  
    Remus let a real smile float to his lips, "I'll try." Then he turned and headed out of the dark room, clutching the roll of parchment tightly. 


	3. Fifty Nifty Nifflers

  
  
**

Fifty Nifty Nifflers

**  
  
    Sirius collapsed into his seat. "Took me long enough to find you lot, could you've picked a compartment farther back?"  
  
    "Well there were those two in the caboose," Peter began, grinning.   
  
    "What're you two looking at?" Sirius turned his attention to James and Remus who were peering intently at a piece of parchment.   
  
    "Tap it again, James," Remus muttered, staring in awe at the paper.   
  
    James pulled out his wand. "Hufflepuff," he said and then glanced at the paper, then at Remus. The two boys smiled at one another.   
  
    Peter and Sirius quickly slid over to look at the paper.   
  
    "Merlin's beard, is that...?" Peter trailed off.   
  
    "The Hufflepuff Common Room… all mapped out," Remus replied proudly. "My grandfather did it when he was in school. Would you look at that?" He pointed at the map. "They've got setts, just like a badger. Tap it again, James."   
  
    With three rapid taps the boys viewed the Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin Common Rooms.   
  
    "_Your_ grandfather did this, Remmy?" Sirius asked, clearly impressed. "He must be pretty smart."   
  
    "He was in Ravenclaw," Remus replied softly, still gaping down at the parchment. They were interrupted by a knock on the door.   
  
    "Just a minute." James hollered as Remus hastily rolled up the parchment and retied it, shoving it into Peter's hands.   
  
    Peter looked around bewildered for a moment and then shoved the parchment behind his back. "Come in."   
  
    A small boy, clearly a First Year, popped his head in the door. "Sirius?" he asked, his voice wobbling slightly.   
  
    Sirius groaned, "I told you to leave me alone. Go find some friend of your own."   
  
    A look of comprehension dawned on Remus's face, "Are you Regulus?"   
  
    The boy's eyes widened in fear at being addressed, but he nodded slightly and took a step towards his older brother.   
  
    "Well why don't you let him stay with us, Sirius? We might be a good influence on him," James commented, moving over to make room for the smaller Black.   
  
    "Oh yes, we're just perfect role models, James," Peter laughed. "What was it you were saying earlier about a giant vat of bloody mayonnaise?"   
  
    Regulus peered at the taller boy with the messy hair curiously.   
  
    "I think you need to remember that there are children and small rats in this room and keep that sort of language to yourself in the future, Peter Pettigrew." James chided, sounding suspiciously like Professor McGonagall before bursting into laughter.   
  
    "Well if you all want to hang out with the little lizard booger, that's fine with me, I'm going to go catch up with some of the others then," Sirius said, quickly rising and exiting into the corridor.   
  
    Regulus took one terrified look at the three Third Years sitting with him and bolted off after his brother.   
  
    "Another Slytherin, you think?" Remus pondered after the boy left.   
  
    "Well he's certainly not a Gryffindor," James chuckled as he unwrapped a Fizzing Whizbee.   


~~*~~

  
    "Oof, what the bloody-" James was cut off by laughter. The heads popped out of a compartment.   
  
    "Well would you look at this? We caught a Marauder. Becca was right, the bloody thing does work." Frank Longbottom commented affably, extending a hand down to James to help him up.   
  
    "What was that?"   
  
    "Invisitrip? Is that what Melissa Watts was calling it, Frank?" James recognized the boy as one of the Robs Frank so often hung out with.   
  
    "Something like that," the other commented. "Who'd of thought a Gryffindor would come up with such an ingenious use of a binding spell?"   
  
    _Must be the Rob from Ravenclaw_, James thought, grinning back at him. "Clearly you don't know Watts or Evans very well."   
  
    "That's what I keep trying to tell them," Frank replied proudly. "We're brave _and_ smart."   
  
    "Speaking of the Gryffindor five," James said, "have you any idea where their compartment is?"   
  
    "Somewhere near the front. I've no idea how they lucked out on that one." Frank gestured towards the front of the train.   
  
    "Thanks, now do any of you know how to unstick me?" James asked, peering down at his feet. A thoughtful look crossed his face. "This invention had definite possibilities."   
  
    "Just don't stick me anywhere, mate," Frank replied, brandishing his wand and quickly freeing James. "See you up at the castle."   
  
    "Right, see you lot later, then," James started off towards the front of the train. He wasn't surprised to hear Sirius's loud laughter and followed it right to the girls' compartment.   
  
    He knocked and slid open the door, "Afternoon, ladies." He turned to Sirius. "Lost the little lizard booger, then?"   
  
    "Shoved him into a compartment with some other First Years," Sirius replied, making room on the seat for James. "What're the others up to?"   
  
    "Oh, you know," James raised a conspiratorial eyebrow and Alice groaned. He glanced around the compartment and for a moment his heart stopped. "Where's Evans?"   
  
    "Visiting with Trixie, I think… or someone. You know Lily, so many friends, so little time," Rebecca replied quickly, surprised that James was even asking.   
  
    James relaxed a bit. _You would've heard something if… that… had happened, Potter. Calm down. It's just Evans at that. You were worried about Mel all summer because of Malfoy's bloody comment and look, all of them are fine._  
  
    "So how were your summers?"   
  
    "We heard from Sirius here you lot were at the campsite they attacked, you're all okay though, right?" Alice asked anxiously.   
  
    "Yeah, we're fine," James brushed off the question. He'd been shocked to learn that had been an actual Death Eater attack that they'd been so near to, but like any other thirteen year old, he was convinced, whether or not he consciously recognized it, that he was immortal and nothing could hurt him; therefore, he'd promptly forgotten about it. "By the way, nice job on that sticking thing… whatever it is."   
  
    "Lily's idea," Melissa said, glancing up from the book she was reading for the first time.   
  
    "What book is that?" James asked, trying to glance at the cover.   
  
    "Just some science fiction by a Muggle writer," Melissa muttered. "Asimov, heard of him?"   
  
    "Actually… wasn't Remus reading something by him at the end of last term?" James asked Sirius, who just shrugged at him.   
  
    "Er, yes. He recommended it," Melissa said, the tips of her ears going slightly red as she went back to reading.   
  
    James and Sirius both exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Sirius smirked and James bit back a smile. Remus wasn't going to believe this.   


~~*~~

  
    "Are you serious?"   
  
    "No, I'm Remus."   
  
    Peter groaned. "If that were any older, it'd be ancient."   
  
    "But I really don't think it's going to go away, all the same… I say embrace the insanity, Peter. Or at least that particular form. But, all kidding aside, I do mean it."   
  
    "But it's your grandfather's."   
  
    "Yes, well… maybe when we're all done, you can give it back to me, but for now, you're the one doing all the drawing for the map, it's far more useful to you."   
  
    "Too bad it doesn't show _who's_ in the Common Rooms, that'd be dead useful, it would."   
  
    "Yeah, I thought that, too," Remus countered, leaning back in his seat. "Maybe ours could. It'd _really_ be dead useful to know where Filch and McGonagall are most of the time."   
  
    "And the bloody cat."   
  
    "_And_ the bloody cat," Remus agreed. "Where did those other two gits go?"   
  
    "Sirius never came back after running away from his brother and James left a while ago to go visit someone… not sure who," Peter replied, opening a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "They missed the snack witch."   
  
    "I'm sure we got enough for them, too." Remus looked around at the pile of sugar he and Peter had purchased. The brown haired boy rummaged in his trunk and pulled out his school uniform. Peter quickly followed his cue and the two changed into their Hogwarts uniforms and robes.   
  
    When they sat back down, Peter had a thoughtful expression on his face, "Did I tell you about the billywig powder Sirius sent me by mail? I levitated for three hours after opening that envelope… Mum and Dad were furious."   
  
    Remus shook his head but didn't say anything.   
  
    "I think my color changing charms got better over the last year… wouldn't it be odd if Sirius suddenly had a Slytherin uniform?"   
  
    Remus quirked an eyebrow at his short friend and folded his hands together on his lap, "That could be interesting." He paused. "It would be very strange if James were suddenly a Hufflepuff, don't you think?"   
  
    "Don't know how such a thing could happen," Peter commented as he rose from where he'd sat and pulled Sirius's crumpled uniform and robes out of his trunk.   
  
    "Me either, entirely clueless," as Remus followed suit with James's stuff.   
  
    A few moments later and a couple of spells ('bloody hell, Pete, not Ravenclaw… I thought you fixed that problem…') two new house uniforms were stored in their friend's trunks.   
  
    "Maybe we'd best find them?" Peter asked.   
  
    "I suppose you're right, we can't exactly let those two lunatics loose on their own, can we?" Remus smiled broadly as he said that and started towards the door to the corridor.   
  
    Peter grinned back as he followed him out. "Guess that wouldn't be wise."   


~~*~~

  
    "Am I the only one dreadfully bored by the Sorting?" Sirius whispered across the table to Remus.   
  
    Remus kicked him in the shin. "Yes, now shut up you git. Your brother's about to be Sorted."   
  
     "Black, Regulus."   
  
    Sirius shut his eyes, _Slytherin. He's going to be a Slytherin… I really shouldn't care, I've known all along. The kid can't even think for himself and he's full of Mum's deranged ideas._  
  
    "Slytherin!"   
  
    The other three Marauders turned to look at Sirius as his brother crossed to the other side of the room to join the green and silver table. He sat down next to Bellatrix who gave him a big hug. Sirius just shrugged as though he didn't care at all and was happy when they turned back to watch the rest of the Sorting.   
  
    _They don't understand… Mum will be so proud to hear that Regulus is in Slytherin, hell, she's already got him on a one way track to becoming a Death Eater… wouldn't surprise me in the least. And she hates me… she loves him because he can't think for himself and hates me because I can. Because I think all her ideas are wrong. _  
  
    "Imago, Shakespeare."   
  
    Sirius rubbed at his arm, which had been covered by a jumper on the train and then later his school robes, he'd managed to get them on (_and turn the ruddy things back to the right bloody House colors_, he thought, glancing over at Peter and Remus. _One of them is going to get it later_) without James noticing the state of it. _She hexed me. My own mother used a bloody burning curse on me because she found out a "Muggle loving Potter" was my best friend and that another was Muggleborn. _  
  
    "Hufflepuff!"   
  
    _I don't understand why she hates the Potters, their family is as old as ours, if not older._ Then he looked to the chubby boy with the blond hair and piercing blue eyes, clapping for the latest addition to Gryffindor. _And I'll never understand how someone could hate Peter._ His eyes strayed to the scars still visible on the boy's neck. They'd faded considerably over time, but they'd always be there. _He's worth a thousand acromantula bites and my own Mum isn't even worth one._  
  
    "McKinnon, Melinda."   
  
    _At least I got to meet Dora this summer. I really don't know what Andie was thinking naming that poor kid Nymphadora… although I'll be damned if anyone but me will tease her about it. That Ted bloke wasn't half bad either, but he's training to be an Auror… I don't understand how he can do that with a wife and kid… it's like a death sentence now. _  
  
    "Gryffindor!"   
  
    Sirius didn't even notice as he automatically clapped for the girl as she ran over to the table and sat down next to her sister. Sirius reached beneath the table and rubbed at his knee. _I mentioned Dora to Dad… he hit me with his walking stick. I still have a limp if I don't walk carefully. They're going to notice and I'll have to explain it. It was so much easier when we were little, before Hogwarts. Narcissa used to baby-sit Bella, Regulus and I and we'd all play. War… Bella would get Narcissa to team up with her, but Cissy wouldn't do much to make sure it stayed fair… the three of us with our toy wands, we really thought we were something. _  
  
    "Peterson, Avinold."   
  
    _Cissy and Regulus would give up right away… and Bella and I would pretend we did too. Then Regulus would go take his nap and Cissy would go work on schoolwork or make us dinner and we'd fight to the 'death'. Sirius shook his head sadly. And now someday we might. Because I know she agrees with that lunatic and I know I don't… but she's my cousin. I hate her. I hate her like no one else, because **she** should've stuck by me no matter where I was Sorted, she was like the sister I never had. Instead she disowned me… but I don't know if it ever came down to it… _He looked across the hall to where his brother and his cousin were chatting amiably. _I don't think I could kill them. _  
  
    "Ravenclaw!"   
  
    He was shocked to see Bellatrix raise her eyes and look right at him. They narrowed into an unnerving glare and her face contorted into something that reminded Sirius of a warning, a warning to stay far away. _Not yet, anyway. _  


~~*~~

  
    James jumped as he felt someone grab the neck of his robes and pull him into a dark passageway. He calmed immediately as he heard Peter stifle a chuckle. Looking around he saw Remus with a mischievous grin on his face and Sirius looking equally maniacal.   
  
    "Well, what're we up to then?" James asked, looking to each of his friends faces.   
  
    Remus held up a finger to silence him and gestured to the Gryffindors spilling by in the hallway on their way to the portrait of the Fat Lady.   
  
    "Keep up now, First Years." Emmaline Vance called out. She'd been made Head Girl and was up front with the prefects.   
  
    James nodded in recognition. The last thing he wanted was their first prank of the year to be spoiled by Emmaline.   
  
    As the commotion the passing students made died down, Sirius produced a tin canister from his robe pocket.   
  
    "What's that?"   
  
    "My newest invention," Sirius proclaimed proudly. "Abinard powder."   
  
    "But you can't touch abinards," Peter replied quickly. "They give you such a severe rash you wind up scratching for weeks, it's a thousand times worse than even the best Muggle itching powder, I mean-" Suddenly his eyes dawned with comprehension. "Wicked. Who're we using it on?"   
  
    "That, my friend, depends entirely on old Remmy here. Did you manage to find one?" Sirius looked expectantly at his friend.   
  
    "Three, actually. Disiunctus, effringo- but that'll destroy the locks, and, if we're desperate and they don't work, aperio aperire aperui apertum, but that one's pretty advanced. I don't know if we can get it to work. All of that is, of course, assuming a simple old alohomora fails."   
  
    Sirius clapped him happily on the back, "Fantastic Remus."   
  
    "So we're going where, then?" James asked.   
  
    "Quidditch locker rooms."   
  
    "Excuse me?"   
  
    "Slytherin, my friend, it's all about the Slytherins."   
  
    James face broke into a big grin. "Let's go."   


~~*~~

  
    "Alright, so apparently alohomora doesn't work," Peter muttered, glaring at the green locker room door.   
  
    Remus pulled out his own wand, _"Disiunctus!_" He pushed at the door, but it refused to budge.   
  
    Sirius pushed him out of the way, "Really now, let me try. _Effringita!_"  
  
    "Sirius!" Remus shrieked as a large explosion resulted. "That's the wrong spell."   
  
    "Oh hell, he's unconscious," James muttered, kneeling down. "But he's breathing." James let out a sigh of relief. "Peter, take him to the hospital wing, alright? Come up with some story on the way there… clearly the truth won't do. We'll meet up with you when we finish here." He hesitated. "Does anyone remember what he said?"   
  
    The other two boys shook their head.   
  
    "Fine… Pete, just tell her he was _trying_ to say effringo… clearly he screwed it up. Ahh… tell her we locked him in his trunk and he was trying to get out, that'll work. Madam Pomfrey usually doesn't ask too many questions anyway."   
  
    "How'm I going to lift him?" the short chubby wizard eyed the taller one.   
  
    "Oh for the love of chocolate… are you a wizard or what?" Remus sighed. "_Wingardium Leviosa_." Sirius levitated slightly off the floor. "Go on Pete, watch his head."   
  
    A moment later the two could see Peter quickly darting towards the castle, a horizontal figure floating next to him.   
  
    "Well… I guess it's my turn then," James said, picking up the canister he'd taken out of Sirius's robes. "How do you say it again?"   
  
    "Aperio aperire aperui apertum, but if that doesn't work we'll just have to give up."   
  
    "Give up? That's not in my vocabulary, Remus. _Aperio aperire aperui apertum_," James held his wand to the door and both boys were pleasantly surprised to hear the unmistakable click of a lock opening and the door swung itself slightly ajar.   
  
    The two boys exchanged accomplished glances and let themselves in.   
  
    "Merlin's Hat! Could there be anymore green in here?" James muttered.   
  
    "I think a simple alohomora will work on the lockers, James," Remus said, muttering the incantation which caused the locker nearest him to swing open.   
  
    "Bode's," Remus said, pulling out the green Slytherin practice uniform. James walked over and unscrewed the lid of the canister.   
  
    "Does this stuff have a time limit or anything? It'll be a good week before any of them are out here wearing the stuff."   
  
    "Sirius didn't say… I hope not. How much should we use?"   
  
    The two boys peered in the canister until James picked it up and unceremoniously dumped about a teaspoon full into the robe up by the neck. Remus picked up the robe and shook it so the powder trickled down the back. They exchanged another accomplished nod and Remus carefully hung the robe back up and shut the locker as James opened the one next to it.   
  
    "Avery," James commented and then the two followed the same procedure they'd used on the previous robe. They worked their way around the locker room in near silence until they reached the last locker.   
  
    "Not much left," James said as he looked into the canister.   
  
    "Well, it's the last robe anyway. Whoever their new Chaser is going to be gets off this time, I guess."   
  
    "Who is it?" James asked from across the room, beginning to walk over to where Remus was pulling the robe out of the locker.   
  
    "Jenkins."   
  
    "The Seek-" James was interrupted as he tripped over one of the benches. In a moment of insanity, he tried to grab the canister to keep it from spilling all over the locker room. He succeeded, but instead of the locker room, what was left of the abinard powder covered his head, arms, and hands and trickled down his robes. Immediately he started scratching and moaning.   
  
    "James?" Remus crossed to him quickly. "Oh hell, did you get that muck on you?" Remus groaned. "This was definitely not the most successful prank. Come on then, ack, _don't_ touch me."   
  
    Remus crammed Jenkins practice robe back into his locker and summoned the canister right into his pocket so he wouldn't have to touch it.   
  
    "Don't make me levitate you back to the castle, James," Remus said calmly, looking down on his writhing friend.   
  
    "Oh Merlin, make it stop, _make it stop_," James yelled.   
  
    "Shhhh, you git, you'll get us caught. You've got to get up and _walk_. Madam Pomfrey can probably fix it. _Get up_!"   
  
    James unsteadily got to his feet and doubled right back over.   
  
    "No, no, no. We need to get out of here. Filch will find us soon, he always does. We need to go, come on Potter," Remus grumbled, glaring at his friend. "I really hate you, you know." Remus tried to secure his robe as tight to himself as he could before wrapping an arm around James and hauling him to the door. "I swear, if I get _any_ of the powder on me, you'll never hear the end of it."   
  
    Halfway across the lawn James began to ramble incoherently and Remus began to swear loudly.   
  
    "Bloody son of a sea dragon, when I get my hands on him, laced the bloody thing with alihotsy, didn't he? And when was he going to tell us about this? Alihotsy and abinards." Remus growled. "I knew this wasn't going to work out well."   
  
    Just as they made it to the steps of the castle, James stopped short, still scratching himself madly, but looked Remus clearly in the eye.   
  
    "What James?"   
  
    "Something about tulips, wasn't it?"   
  
    Remus rolled his eyes and groaned, putting his arm around his friend to guide him through the castle. "Yes James, something about the tulips." Remus humored him as his friend continued to scratch and mutter about tulips.   
  
    About ten minutes later, the bizarre duo made it to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey tutted at them both but, fortunately, admitted them without asking many questions.   
  
    "Did he eat an abinard?" she asked Remus.   
  
    "Er… powdered abinard on his skin."   
  
    She nodded and began to lead James towards a bed. At this point, James began to sing.   
  
    "Fifty nifty nifflers flying on a broom, round and round and round the room…"  
  
    "I think there might have been some alihotsy in it too, Madam."   
  
    "…until he ran into the man on the moon! Forty nine nifty nifflers flying on a broom…"   
  
    Madam Pomfrey gave Remus a very dry look. "Clearly."   
  
    Remus listened as James made it to forty two nifty nifflers and Madam Pomfrey came back to give him a potion.   
  
    "Drink this, Mr. Potter."   
  
    Remus's eyes widened as he heard a crash that sounded like someone knocking over a tray.   
  
    "Give me all your pocket lint or the dog gets it!"   
  
    "Do put your wand down, Mr. Potter and drink this potion."   
  
    "The nifflers ate the tulips, Professor McGonagall, but it really wasn't my fault! The man on the moon told them too do it and I can't speak Scandinavian, so they told me to eat the bacon on the fourth of July." Remus heard James burst into tears. "I'm really sorry, ma'am. I'll never skin a bobotuber on a Tuesday again."   
  
    "Very well, Mr. Potter. Just _drink the potion_."  
  
    There was a moment of silence and then another thud. After that Madam Pomfrey walked out of the curtained area.   
  
    "Still here, Mr. Lupin? Well off to the Common Room with you. Mr. Pettigrew is already back there. Your friends will be just fine in a bit. Mr. Potter will sleep this off and Mr. Black's wings will fall off sometime tomorrow."   
  
    At the words 'Mr. Black's wings', Remus turned to look for Sirius and saw his unconscious shape lying two beds over from the curtained off area where James was. Sure enough, at some point since Remus had last seen him, Sirius had sprouted wings.   
  
    "Ahem, Mr. Lupin. Leave."   
  
    "Yes, ma'am." Remus quickly turned and headed down the hallway towards the Gryffindor Common Room, trying to figure out how he was going to get in and then started laughing at the recollection of James singing. _He could give a banshee a run for her galleons_, he chuckled, a happy bounce in his step. 


	4. Television A Minion of Evil

  
  


**Television- A Minion of Evil**

  
    Peter and Remus were eating breakfast and looking through their schedules the following morning when James and Sirius stumbled into the Great Hall.   
  
    James, still bright red and occasionally scratching at his skin, muttered to Sirius, "That was a bloody brilliant idea, Black. Alihotsy, eh? Didn't exactly work out too well for you either."   
  
    "So I had wings for a little while. It was a bit awkward, but I got on."   
  
    Remus and Peter both groaned.   
  
    "You two never learn, do you?"   
  
    "Jamesy boy says you two stuck it out and finished after Peter and I left," Sirius said, reaching for the marmalade.   
  
    "After we left?" Peter asked, chuckling. "You mean after _I_ levitated _you_ to the Hospital Wing."   
  
    "Minor oversight," the boy said through a mouthful of bread, grabbing at his schedule. "Nice, Muggle Studies first thing, ready Pete?"   
  
    "To study Muggles? Yeah, I think I can handle that," the Muggleborn wizard grinned at his friend.   
  
    Remus handed James his schedule, "We've got Arithmancy first."   
  
    "Well that'll be jolly good fun first thing in the morning," he grumbled as he scratched a particularly agitated spot of skin on his neck. He looked to Remus, "Did I sing Fifty Nifty Nifflers last night?"   
  
    "Nah." Remus bit back a chuckle as his friend's face relaxed into a relieved look. "You only got into the low forties before Pomfrey cut you off."   
  
    James groaned and glared at Sirius.   
  
    Sirius just grinned back at him. "Just think of that first Slytherin practice, if you looked insane, imagine what seven Slytherins will be doing."   
  
    James tried to look angry but wound up biting back a chuckle.   


~~*~~

  
    Sirius and Peter walked out of the Great Hall with James and Remus. After yelling their goodbyes, the latter headed off towards the East Tower.   
  
    "Shall we?" Sirius asked, with a grand bow in the direction of their classroom.   
  
    Peter rolled his eyes at his friend and started walking away.   
  
    "Well, at least we know there'll probably be no Slytherins in here," Sirius replied happily, darting behind a tapestry to take a shortcut with Peter on his heels.   
  
    "I hadn't thought of that. What's the professor's name again?" Peter asked as they climbed up the narrow, rickety stairs and slid out from behind a portrait.   
  
    "No clue. Come on, I think it's over here." Sirius tugged on Peter's robe and walked off in that direction.   
  
    Peter walked into the classroom behind Sirius and looked around, breathing a small sigh of relief. Sirius had been right, there were no Slytherins. Sirius walked over and dropped his satchel at the last desk in the corner, right behind Rebecca Longbottom.   
  
    "I didn't know you were taking this class," he leaned forward to talk to her.   
  
    "Lily's idea, she wanted us all to take a class together." Rebecca tilted her head back to reply.   
  
    "Where's Melissa then?" Peter asked as he settled in next to Sirius and behind Cortessa.   
  
    "The nutter actually wants to learn," Tessa grumbled. "She's taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.   
  
    "We will learn." Lily's red hair whipped out as she turned to face the other two.   
  
    _So she finally gave up on those dopey pigtails_, Peter thought amusedly. He noticed she was already holding the textbook open as though she'd been reading through it. "Where are your glasses, Lily?"   
  
    "Contacts, until I figure out how to fix my vision with magic, they'll do. Isn't this going to be fascinating, don't you think? To learn about the world we came from in this new perspective? We'll learn so-"  
  
    "Lily, shut it. You know we only agreed to take this class because it's an easy A." Cortessa cut her off and then smiled sweetly. "Not that we love you any less for picking this one. If you'd suggested group Arithmancy I would've been out the door quicker than you can say 'bat-bogey hex'.   
  
    The group was cut off by the opening and closing of a door as a tall man with sandy blonde hair walked up to the front of the class.   
  
    "My apologies to all of you who think this will be an easy A, perhaps Arithmancy would be better suited for you then," he began glancing over at the Gryffindor corner. "Textbooks out. We'll start easy, now who can explain to me electricity?"   
  
    Lily's hand shot into the air, at the same time as Ryan Ithaca's from Ravenclaw.   
  
    "Mr. Ithaca?"   
  
    Lily slumped in her seat.   
  
    "Well you see Professor, the Muggles use electricity to power most of their appliances, the things they use to do the stuff that we use magic for. It comes from a source and then follows the source to the transformer, from the transformer it travels into a person's home and from there it's distributed around the house. Muggles use plugs to tap into the electricity."   
  
    "Very good, five points to Ravenclaw. Mr. Pettigrew, if you could please list a few common Muggle household appliances?"   
  
    "Er…" Peter tensed and quickly began to skim through the first few pages in his book before he felt Sirius elbow him.   
  
    "You're Muggleborn, you prat," Sirius hissed at his friend.   
  
    The boy grinned stupidly. "Oh yeah," he whispered back.   
  
    "Mr. Pettigrew?"   
  
    "Lamps and televisions. Telephones and washing machines. Refrigerators."   
  
    "Very good, five points to Gryffindor."   
  
    Lily swiveled around in her seat and beamed at him.   
  
    "Now who can tell me a bit more about one of those machines?"   
  
    Lily and Sirius both shot their hands up into the air.   
  
    The professor raised an eyebrow but called on Sirius.   
  
    "Well the television is considered a minion of evil by many Muggles. They use it send their brainwashing ideas across the airwaves and into the homes of millions of unsuspecting people." Most of the class, especially the Muggle raised, began to chuckle. "Some of the stupider Muggles use it to baby-sit their children and lots of Muggles like to protest all of the violence on it, but when I spent some time at Pete's this summer," he jerked his finger towards Peter, "I actually thought some of the violent stuff was pretty cool and if you ask me, I think its that Partridge Family that gives TV a bad name-"  
  
    The professor cut him off then, "Thank you very much, Mr. Black… I see that perhaps all those warnings from your usual professors weren't entirely off base."   
  
    Sirius grinned back innocently at him and then leaned over towards Peter, "This could be a very fun three years."   


~~*~~

  
    "Bloody hell, bloody hell, bloody hell," Remus intoned under his breath, looking around. He had absolutely no idea where he was. Arithmancy had been held in a classroom he'd never been to before and he and James had gotten rather lost attempting to find it. During class, James and Gallus Malfoy had gotten into a small fight and Professor Vector held them back.   
  
    _And now I'm lost in Hogwarts. Sweet Merlin, a person could get so lost they could starve to death before they were found in this place._ Suddenly the torches flickered out. _Brilliant._ Remus put one hand against the wall and pulled in back quickly. _Am I in the **dungeons**? How the bloody hell did I get from a tower to the dungeons without noticing?_ Remus shook his head. _So much for getting to Charms on time. Where's Peter when you need him? He'd never have gotten lost._  
  
    Remus was jarred from his thoughts as a solid object bumped into him.   
  
    The voice, not knowing who he'd bumped into the dark, quietly said, "Excuse me."   
  
    "Snape?" Remus sputtered. _Oh **bloody hell**._  
  
    "Lupin?" The voice had changed from polite to agitated immediately. "Where is the rest of your pack?"   
  
    _Pack? **PACK?** What does he know_? "Pack?"   
  
    "Potter, Pettigrew and Black."   
  
    Remus was surprised to hear that the boy sounded more weary than anything else. Whenever Malfoy, Crabbe or Goyle spoke to them, all of the boys could hear the underlying threats in the voices, the urge to fight. Snape seemed the opposite, as though he just wished to be left alone.   
  
    "Classes, I'd assume. Your friend Malfoy used a Swelling curse on James's hands during Arithmancy, but you know that," he tried to keep his voice calm and level. Being stuck in a dark corridor alone with Severus Snape ranked very high on the lists of things he never wanted to do, perhaps right under screaming 'I'm a werewolf' aloud at breakfast in the Great Hall.   
  
    "References to Malfoy as my friend are not entirely accurate, Lupin, and I'd ask you not to forget that."   
  
    Remus shook his head in the dark. _I'm having a civil conversation, or what passes as civil with him, with Severus Snape, in the dark, while completely lost._ "Fine. Alright. Do you know where we are?"   
  
    "Not entirely, no," Snape replied, the underlying sarcasm creeping back into his voice. "But I do suspect I can remedy the light situation. _Lumos._"  
  
    _Lumos. LUMOS, you idiot. Way to go, Remus._ "Thanks," he muttered to the dark haired boy.   
  
    Snape was peering around. "I believe this area is below the dungeons. If there are stairs nearby, as I suspect there are, they should lead to an area of the dungeons near the Slytherin common room. From there, it should be easy to get to the entrance foyer and from there to wherever you need to go."   
  
    Remus kept on glancing back and forth between Snape's hand and wand, waiting for him to draw it and attempt to hex him into oblivion. Apparently Snape had noticed.   
  
    "You can loosen your grip on that flimsy stick of wood you call a wand, Lupin. My only intent is to arrive at Charms on time. It is merely an unfortunate fact that you and I are both in the same predicament. Unlike several others in my House, I find it a waste of time to go around pointlessly hexing and curing people." Snape glared at Remus. "I believe there are a set of stairs down at this end of the corridor." With that, he started off, leaving Remus to decide whether or not he wished to accompany him.   
  
    Remus quickly decided to follow the boy. _After all, if we are near the Slytherin dungeons, he'll know where to go much better than I would…_ Remus walked quickly to catch up to him, noticing that Snape didn't even acknowledge him when Remus began to match his stride. After many twists and turns, they walked through a very damp area full of stagnant puddles and then up a narrow, rickety, spiral staircase and found themselves in the main dungeons. Slightly up the hall on the right was the Potions classroom.   
  
    Snape continued on at a brisk pace but Remus hesitated for a second.   
  
    "Thanks, Snape."   
  
    The boy stopped walked, his back still to Remus, and then shrugged as though it were a matter of no consequence to him. Severus Snape then commenced walking and was soon out of Remus's line of sight. A moment later, Remus followed the same path that Snape had taken moments before and slid into his Charms seat several minutes late, losing five points for Gryffindor in the process, and then collected a pumpkin to attempt to deseed and carve with a tricky little charm.   


~~*~~

  
    "So in essence, it's an angry shadow?" Robert Cage attempted to clarify.   
  
    "Exactly," Professor Belua smiled at the boy. The rest of the class shivered.   
  
    Sirius shook his head slightly, _Professor Shacklebolt was a bloody brilliant Defense professor, Emerson wasn't half bad but this one… for Merlin's bloody sake his name is Delirius Belua… bloody Crazy Monster. He's going to get on really well with Hagrid. _  
  
    Alice raised her hand into the air. "So then, our shadows could try to kill us."   
  
    The professor pounded his hand on his desk, sending the entire class jumping. "EXACTLY! Unfortunately there's no known way to dispose of the creatures."   
  
    "Of the creatures?" Remus leaned over and whispered to Sirius. "Bloody hell, they're our _shadows_… where does Dumbledore find some of these nutters?"   
  
    "You need to keep in mind though that cats and dogs are very sensitive to the doppelganger, they can-" he paused and looked around, banging his hand on his desk again. "What aren't you taking notes? This could one day save your life!"   
  
    "Does he really think that if our own shadows attack us, we've got much of a chance?" Peter muttered foully under his breath to no one in particular.   
  
    "Often, one becomes aware that their shadow has been infected by a doppelganger by the voices," the professor jumped up from his desk and stalked over to Cortessa Maris. "Do you hear voices, Miss Maris?"   
  
    "Er…" Cortessa blushed a bit and looked confused. "Well, I can hear you now, Professor."   
  
    He pounded his hand on her desk. "No! I meant do you hear the voices in your head?"   
  
    "In my head?" she asked back, visibly startled, and then she shook said area repeatedly. "No sir, I don't hear voices in my head."   
  
    He pounded her desk again and offered her a small smile that quickly turned into a grave look. "Stay alert, you never know when it'll begin. You'll just think it's your subconscious and the next thing you know-" he clapped his hands together loudly startling the entire class, "-you're confined to St. Mungo's for evaluation. Very difficult to tell the difference between a doppelganger and paranoid schizophrenia, a Muggle ailment."   
  
    He spun around quickly, "Potter! Voices?"   
  
    "Oh, of course sir, but I only listen to them about half the time," James grinned.   
  
    Professor Belua quickly took a step away from James, his face registering a look of horror and sadness, "And what do the voices say, my boy?"   
  
    "Oh you know, same old, same old," James shrugged casually. "Maim, lie, cheat. Kill."   
  
    The professor gasped and then pounded his hand onto the nearest desk, "You must fight the voices, Mr. Potter. Nothing is as imperative as you fighting the voices. If it gets worse you'll need to go to Madam Pomfrey immediately."   
  
    James put on a sad, serious face, "Oh yes sir, I'll try to fight the voices."   
  
    Professor Belua nodded sadly at the boy and spun around to Cynthia Kaite.   
  
    Before he could even ask, she held up her hands in surrender, "No voices here, Professor."   
  
    "Good, good," he nodded his head reassuringly and then glances cautiously back as James who had taken to talking quietly to himself and shaking his head as though he were fighting with himself. "I think we'll dismiss class early today. I'd like you all to read up on gytrash and lindwurms. Class dismissed."   
  
    The Marauders quickly gathered up their belongings and hurried from class.   
  
    "Right nutter, that one, isn't he?" Peter commented as soon as they were out of earshot of the door.   
  
    "When were you doing to tell us about those voices, mate?" Remus grinned at James. James held up a finger, gesturing they wait a moment.   
  
    "Sorry, my doppelganger and I were finishing our conversation over how paranoid we can make Belua this term," James smirked.   
  
    Sirius dug into his satchel and pulled out his schedule, "And next up is… blessed free time. Thank Merlin."   
  
    "Blessed free time?" Remus asked, pulling his own out. "Maybe for you, you lucky git, we've got Ancient Runes."   
  
    "I'll never know what possessed you three to take that class…" Sirius shrugged. "Nor do I really care. See you lot at dinner." Sirius started off down the hall yelling, "Tessa? You're not in Ancient Runes, are you?"   


~~*~~

  
    The following day James, Peter, Sirius and Remus were walking from Defense Against the Dark Arts out to the greenhouses for Herbology.   
  
    "An entire year with that man… where does Dumbledore find them?" Peter moaned, rubbing his knuckles. Professor Belua had gotten particularly excited when discussing the basic characteristics of the lindwurms and unfortunately Peter had had his hand spread out on his desk during one of the educator's aggressive pounds, attempting to drive the point home.   
  
    "St. Mungo's, I suspect," Remus muttered, his head buried in his Defense text as they walked.   
  
    "Restricted ward," Sirius added with a grin. "Actually, I rather like the chap."   
  
    "Birds of a feather," James began smirking back at his friend and a moment later the two boys were running towards the greenhouse, James attempting to stay out of Sirius's reach.   
  
    Peter shook his head and turned to Remus. "Do you know why we were supposed to bring our cloaks and scarves?"   
  
    Remus closed his book and shoved it into his satchel. "Don't know anymore than you do, mate." He grinned at Peter and shot a quick look ahead to the greenhouse. "Race you!" Without waiting for Peter's agreement, Remus was off like a shot and halfway to the greenhouse before Peter even realized he should be running.   
  
    He sighed and continued to trudge along at the speed he'd been going. _I'll never be as fast as Remus_, he thought as he glanced ahead to see his friend waiting at the greenhouse door, not even appearing winded. _I'll always just be chubby, little Peter Pettigrew, the kid most of the students think the other Marauder's put up with out of pity… Completely useless…_ He shook his head sadly. _Don't dwell on that, Peter. Self pity is forbidden, didn't Sirius say that to Remus once… maybe he was wrong. Maybe a little self pity sometimes isn't so bad… _  
  
    He looked up again, surprised to see that he was at the greenhouse door. Peter and Remus walked quietly through the door together and then sat down next to one another. Right before Professor Sprout began her lecture, Remus leaned over to whisper to Peter.   
  
    "By the way mate, saw that drawing you did of the dungeons. Bloody brilliant, no one at Hogwarts could've come up with anything like that."   
  
    Peter smiled. _Well… maybe not** completely** useless…_  


~~*~~

  
    "I can't believe you guys tried to coax that Polar Pligwith to eat Snape," Remus groaned, recalling the incident that had occurred just moments before in the greenhouse.   
  
    "Excuse me?" Sirius exclaimed, sounding annoyed. "We did not _try_, we succeeded. That plant would've gobbled down Snape, greasy hair and all, if that bloody Evans didn't feel the urge to go Gryffindor on us and save him."   
  
    "You'd think he'd have slid down easily with hair like that," James mused aloud. Peter laughed.   
  
    "What were you doing by the Pligwith anyway? We were supposed to be thawing the Freezing Hoydedish." Remus grabbed the scarf that was falling out of Sirius's satchel and handed it to his friend.   
  
    "The Hoydedish got old," Sirius shrugged.   
  
    "We thawed them," James replied in their defense. "Then we moved on to bigger and better pursuits."   
  
    "It looked hungry," the other boy added, cramming his scarf unceremoniously into his satchel.   
  
    "Ah, so of course the answer was to feed it _Snape_?" Remus rolled his eyes.   
  
    "Of course," the two boys chorused together.   
  
    "And you know, Remus," Peter added, "there's no real proof that _they_ were the ones who excited that plant… even Professor Sprout couldn't come up with enough evidence to give them detention."   
  
    "Oh sweet, sweet victory." Sirius smiled daftly.   
  
    "We'll get it to eat the git next week," James confirmed.   
  
    "You know what I love most about all this though, James?"   
  
    James turned to Sirius, an inquiring look upon his face. "What, Sirius?"   
  
    "That the man who enchanted Snape's quill to turn his entire hand bright green is lecturing us about trying to feed him to a plant."   
  
    "Imagine that." James replied, turning to glance at Remus, who had reddened slightly.   
  
    "I turned his hand green, I _didn't_ try to _feed_ him to a plant, you bloody lunatics." He glared at them. Sirius and James both laughed and dropped the line of conversation.   
  
    Suddenly the serene look left Sirius's face and a rare solemn look flitted across it. "When are Quidditch try-outs, James?"   
  
    Cocking his head to the side and looking thoughtful, James replied, "I don't actually know. I haven't talked with Beamish since school started. I suppose I just assumed he'd tell me about it."   
  
    "Going out again?" Remus asked.   
  
    "I want to try, I mean… Wood graduated, so there's at least an open reserve spot and Em and Marlene are graduating this year, so there'll be two open spots next year."   
  
    James nodded his approval. "I'll find out then."   
  
    "Did you hear about Henry and Margaret?" Peter asked the other boys. They shook their heads. "They're an item, officially as of some point over the summer."   
  
    "How do you know that?" James asked.   
  
    "Lily. She heard it from Becca. Apparently Becca and Margaret wrote occasionally over the summer."   
  
    "That's strange. Emmaline and Marlene were giggling or something over that at the end of year Quidditch meeting last term," James mused and then shrugged.   
  
    At once, Sirius jumped and began to speak animatedly, "Did I tell you guys Dora took her first steps last week? And it's _early_, most babies aren't really walking yet. She's amazing."   
  
    "You'd think he was the father." James whispered loudly to Peter, who jabbed James in the ribs and smiled at Sirius.   
  
    "That's great, Seer."   
  
    "Thank you, Peter," he smiled at one friend and glared at the other. James rolled his eyes.   
  
    "Are we ever going to get to meet the amazing Nymphadora?"   
  
    "Maybe over the holidays next summer. Andie would probably let you lot into the apartment for a day or two."   
  
    "Sirius!"   
  
    The boys stopped walking and turned around to see Tessa running ahead of her friends, holding something. A few seconds later, she was standing next to the boy.   
  
    "Your scarf, you great oaf," she handed it to him, smiling to take the sting from the insult.   
  
    "Oh," he looked surprised. "Thanks, Tessa."   
  
    She shrugged and grinned once more before turning back to head over to the girls. When she got there, Peter noticed all of them giggling.   
  
    "Why're they giggling?"   
  
    "Who knows?" Sirius muttered, cramming the cloth back into his satchel for the second time. "It's usually not good though, I'll tell you that."   
  
    "Hopefully it doesn't involve roosters or honey." Remus commented darkly, looking over to the Gryffindor five.   
_    Author's Note: Sorry for the really long wait in between chapters. The semester is winding up for me here and it's getting insane. We just finished a production of The Threepenny Opera and now I'm starting work on the dance production here (I'm Assistant Stage Manager, Master Electrician and one of the Lighting Designers... I'm totally swamped). Not to even mention that I've got finals to work on and papers to write. I have about forty more pages of the story already written, I'll try to get them up eventually, but my break start on the 18th of December, so hopefully around then I'll have time to actually write. Please forgive me if the next few chapters are lame, I wrote them weeks apart and could barely remember what preceeded them. Thanks for reading, though, you guys are awesome!
_  
  



	5. Fish Feet

  


**Fish Feet**

  
  
    "Ah ha!" James collapsed onto his bed next to the small fawn that he had just transfigured from his desk. Sirius was looking at the puppy next to him in a state resembling rapture. Peter was glaring at his desk as its legs had changed into small feet and ears were sticking out of the side, but it was far from a complete transfiguration.   
  
    "You lot had better change them back," Remus warned, rushing through the door. "Frank was mentioning that he's ready for bed down in the Common Room and Beamish is looking for you, James."   
  
    "Primer spell number seven, Remmy, _seven_." Sirius grinned manically and reached down to pet the small puppy.   
  
    Remus just shook his head and set about trying to help Peter corner his desk.   
  
    "What's this?"   
  
    The four boys stopped with guilty looks on their faces and glanced towards the door.   
  
    Frank Longbottom stood in the doorway gesturing at the small menagerie residing in his dormitory.   
  
    "Would it be too much to ask you to either get in or out and shut the bloody door?" Remus snapped irritably as he stunned Peter's desk.   
  
    Frank appeared on the verge of leaving the room when he seemed to change his mind and enter instead. Upon closing the door, he asked, "What are you lot up to?"   
  
    "Er. attempting to return our desks to their natural states." James explained, his countercharm bouncing off the fawn in a ray of light blue light. "Why isn't it working?"   
  
    "You know Beamish is on his way up here?" Frank informed the boys.   
  
    "We know," Peter moaned. "This is not the time to have him in here, I can already hear the points being taken."   
  
    "I can't believe that prat went and got himself made Prefect," Sirius mused, attempting to corral the puppy that was now running in circles around his feet.   
  
    The boys all froze as there was a knock on the door.   
  
    "Hide them." James picked up the fawn and swiftly carried it to the bathroom, while calling over his shoulder, "Just a moment."   
  
    Remus and Peter quickly chased the desk into the bathroom and remained in there with it and Frank scooped up the puppy and followed them in, closing the door behind him just as the main door to their room opened.   
  
    "What the bloody hell are you doing in here, Potter?"   
  
    "Nothing," the two boys chorused in unison.   
  
    Alan opened his mouth as though he were about to question them and then closed it as he apparently thought better than to do so. Sirius started to make a move towards the door but Alan stopped him.   
  
    "This might interest you too, Black. We're looking for a reserve Beater, you know."   
  
    The three boys stood in the center of the room as a loud thud resounded from the bathroom. Beamish quickly swiveled his head and stared at the door as another thud caused it to shake.   
  
    "What the bloody-"  
  
    "Peter," Sirius said quickly. "Really bad stomach bug it seems. We think someone might've tried to poison him in Potions, unlucky bugger."   
  
    Alan quirked an eyebrow but turned his attention back to the boys. "Try-outs this weekend, in the morning. Spread the word around, I want all of the returning team members there. We need a new Seeker, we didn't even have a reserve."   
  
    "Right, sure Alan," James agreed quickly, trying to get him to leave the room.   
  
    Another thud sounded. "Are you sure he's alright in there? As a Prefect, I feel-"  
  
    "Fine, fine, he's fine," Sirius muttered quickly. "Be right embarrassed if we bothered him now, I imagine."   
  
    "We'll check up on him in a bit if he's not doing better," James added, opening the main door to their room for Alan to leave.   
  
    Just as he was walking out, the loud, shrill yelp of a pup resounded through the room.   
  
    "What the-"  
  
    "Night, Alan," the two boys quickly chorused together as they shut the door in his face. They exchanged a grimace and waited to see if he would pound on the door and insist reentering the room. A moment later they both let out large sighs and ran for the bathroom.   


~~*~~

  
    "Where's Peter?" Remus asked, looking to James.   
  
    "Better yet, where's Sirius?"   
  
    "This can't be good."   
  
    "Never is."   
  
    The two boys were standing outside the Great Hall.   
  
    "Come to think of it," James mused, "I haven seen Sirius since Care of Magical Creatures this morning."   
  
    "And Peter didn't come with us after Ancient Runes," Remus added. "I suppose we ought to try and find them. Make sure they haven't blown anything up."   
  
    "Or we could _help_ them blow whatever it is up." James grinned and the two started off down the hall. James quickly noticed that Remus was walking slower than usual, rubbing slightly at his head. "Are you alright, mate?"   
  
    Remus grinned wryly. "Bloody moon," was all he said. "Alright if we stop in the infirmary for a potion?"   
  
    "Yeah, of course," James replied, quickly changing direction to head towards the Hospital Wing. If Remus was actually admitting he was in pain, it had to be pretty bad.   
  
    The two boys entered and Madam Pomfrey came bustling over, beginning to pull at their legs and peer into their eyes trying to determine what was wrong.   
  
    "I just need a headache potion, Madam," Remus quickly interjected as she grabbed his wrist to take his pulse.   
  
    Her eyes grew sympathetic as she glanced over towards some of the many charts on one of the walls, among them a calendar and a lunar chart. "Of course, Mr. Lupin. Sit down a moment." She gestured to one of the many seats. Over the quiet of the infirmary, a voice broke out.   
  
    "Is it supposed to tingle like this?" followed quickly by a very nervous, very familiar chuckle from someone else.   
  
    "Sirius?" Remus asked quietly looking to James.   
  
    "Peter?" James responded in turn, looking towards the other end of the room where the curtains were drawn around a bed.   
  
    The silence was broken again a second later, "Bloody hell, don't take them out of the water you git, they'll die. What'll you do then?"   
  
    "But," Sirius wheezed, "it tickles. Oh sweet Merlin, it tickles."   
  
    The other two Marauders exchanged curious glances and quickly got to their feet. They crossed the room quickly and pulled back the corner of the curtain to find Peter trying to keep Sirius's legs in what appeared to be a large fish tank.   
  
    James felt his eyes widen as he saw exactly why it was so imperative that Sirius keep his legs in the fish tank. At the end of them, where his feet once resided, were now two large, flopping rainbow trout, clearly not happy with the situation at hand.   
  
    "Merlin's Beard! What happened to you?" Remus broke the silence, causing all three of the other boys to jump.   
  
    "Er." Peter stammered but used Sirius's momentary distraction to grab at his calves and plunge them back into the water.   
  
    Sirius growled and spit out through gritted teeth, "Snape."   
  
    "Excuse me? _Snape_?" Remus asked, stepping forward, closer to the bed.   
  
    Sirius started to double up again and twitch, "Holy Harpies, this is going to kill me." He started wheezing and Peter grabbed for his feet.   
  
    "He needs to keep the bloody things submerged or they'll die. Snape used some bloody charm that Madam Pomfrey needs to research before she can undo it without hurting him. Until then, the fish need to stay alive. She thought she figured it out before and gave him this bloody potion, but all it does is make him itchy." Peter made a futile grab for Sirius's leg before he added dryly, "We reckon she was wrong."   
  
    James, still standing at the curtain shook his head slightly in disbelief at the scene unraveling before him. "Well I'll be a troll's second cousin. _Snape_ did this? That old prat?"   
  
    "Yes," Peter hissed, plunging one of the wriggling fish back into the water as Remus grabbed at Sirius's other leg.   
  
    James took a step towards the bed also with a strange look on his face, a second later he lost it completely as he began to laugh so loud it sounded like he was howling. Remus dropped Sirius's leg and grabbed at his head, as he did so, Sirius twitched, shot out his leg and one of the fish slapped Remus across the face with its tail. James saw this and tumbled to the ground, laughing so hard that the howls began to subside until he was just a wheezing, shaking ball curled up on the ground.   
  
    The curtain shook and was pulled open abruptly as Madam Pomfrey's stern voice called out, "_What_ is going on here?"   
  
    The four boys looked at her guiltily. "Sorry, Madam Pomfrey," they all chimed. Then Peter and Remus both grabbed for one of Sirius's legs to jam back into the fish tank.   
  
    The matronly woman shook her head. "Mr. Potter, do take Mr. Lupin's spot and be of _some_ use. Here is your potion, Mr. Lupin." She handed him a steaming goblet. Remus glared miserably at it for a mere second and then downed contents in one gulp, gagged, and then handed the goblet back to Madam Pomfrey.   
  
    "Thank you, Madam," he managed.   
  
    She nodded briskly, dug into her pocket and then offered him a small bar of candy, "Chocolate is your preference, if I recall correctly, Mr. Lupin?"   
  
    He offered her a smile, "Yes, ma'am."   
  
    "Well then, eat all of that. It'll dull the taste." She didn't even need to tell him as Remus was already breaking off a piece and cramming it into his mouth. "If you're going to be _helpful_," she stopped to glare at James, "then you two may stay and aide your friend."   
  
    "Yes, Madam," James and Remus, mouth full of chocolate, chorused together.   
  
    She nodded abruptly and left the boys, calling out behind her, "No worries, Mr. Black, I suspect I've nearly found the spell. Are you _positive_ you don't remember what you said?"   
  
    "I was just trying to turn my friend's toad into a book, ma'am. All I know is that I botched the spell," Sirius wheezed loudly in her direction in between giggles.   
  
    "Very well." The boys heard her precise footsteps retreat.   
  
    "Oh Merlin, it's worse than a tickling charm," Sirius moaned, lifting his feet from the tank once more.   
  
    "Would you leave your bloody feet in the bloody tank you bloody madman," Peter groaned, grabbing for both his legs as James tried to assist him.   
  
    Remus turned to Peter as Sirius tried to pull his feet from the tank and curl up in the fetal position on the bed. "How did this happen again?"   
  
    "Snape just walked by and hexed him. I reckon he would've hit whichever one of us was closer. And it's a nasty little hex, if these bloody fish die, Sirius _won't be able to walk anymore_," he turned his attention to Sirius. "You hear that, you git? So put your bloody feet back in the bloody water!"   
  
    Sirius moaned and actually helped the two boys shove his feet back in the tank.   
  
    "Because it's not as though we've given him absolutely no reason to want to attack any of us," Remus commented sourly. "Had it coming, we did."   
  
    "Excuse me?" Sirius hissed, sitting straight up, plunging his feet deeper into the fish tank. "_We_? I only see _me_ sitting here with bloody _fish feet_."  
  
    "True," Remus amended. "But, as Peter pointed out, he just hit the first one of us he saw."   
  
    Sirius glared and started to twitch again. James and Peter both firmly grabbed his legs to keep them submerged.   
  
    "What're you lot doing here, anyway?" Sirius moaned, trying to pull up his legs, but being prevented from doing so by Peter and James.   
  
    "Headache potion." he gestured in the direction of the wall with all the charts so the boys would get the idea.   
  
    "But that's more than a week off," Peter looked concerned.   
  
    Remus shrugged, "Sometimes it's worse than other times."   
  
    "Pretty soon we'll be able to keep you c-c-company," Sirius wheezed. "Maybe then th-th-the m-m-m-oon-y won't seem s-s-s-so," he paused to gasp for air, "bad." He let out a loud groan. "It's g-g-getting worse."   
  
    James stepped back with a thoughtful look on his face. He fingered his wand carefully, appeared to be thinking something over and then looked to his friend. "Want us to stun you?"   
  
    "What?" Sirius spit out. "S-s-stun me?"   
  
    "Well, you won't be able to move then, so we'll be able to get your feet to stay in the tank and it'll probably stop you from itching. I don't think you can feel much of anything when you're stunned."   
  
    "No th-th-t-t-thank you," Sirius wheezed.   
  
    The boys continued the struggle to keep Sirius's feet in the fish tank, all three getting slapped repeatedly by the angry trout and all four of their moods sinking faster and faster.   
  
    "We're going to be late to class soon," James replied, glancing at his watch for a moment before getting drenched as Remus forcefully shoved Sirius's leg back into the tank.   
  
    As he said that, the boys all heard the clear clicks of shoes approaching the bed. Madam Pomfrey came through the curtain holding what appeared to be three dead, moldy flowers.   
  
    "Dittany?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Er, no thanks Madame, I'll keep the fish. Really though, it's quite alright."   
  
    "Mr. Black, you will eat all three of these plants, they should cure the effects of the potion I gave you. Then I need to make a quick trip down to Professors Sprout and Nackle we'll have you fix up right as rain. These had better be gone when I return, Mr. Black." Madam Pomfrey placed them on the table next to the bed and turned. The boys listened to the clicking of her retreating steps and the opening and closing of the door to the infirmary.   
  
    "I'm not eating that," Sirius glared at the plants. He was then overcome by the tickling sensation and started thrashing around again. Remus and James both grabbed at his legs to make sure the fish stayed in the water.   
  
    "Oh _yes, you are_," Peter replied vehemently, grabbing one of the flowers and handing it to Sirius. "Eat it, or I swear on Merlin's name, I'll cram it down your throat, you prat."   
  
    Sirius's eyes widened at this. Threats from Peter were rare.   
  
    "I've hauled you all the way up here, helped you keep from losing your feet, been kicked by you _repeatedly_, been attacked by the bloody trout at the end of your leg and I'm thoroughly drenched. I actually _want_ to go to class rather than be here. Now, eat. the. bloody. dittany." Peter thrust his arm out and shook it while still holding the flower.   
  
    Sirius glared at his friend and then took the disgusting plant, peering intently at it.   
  
    "All three."   
  
    Sirius narrowed his eyes at Peter even more.   
  
    "It's for your own good, you know." Remus tried to interject as he grabbed at Sirius's flailing leg.   
  
    "It's for all our own good, you self-centered git." James said, apparently content on continuing his rant until the trout at the end of Sirius's right leg smacked him good and hard in the mouth. "Eat it," James roared.   
  
    Sirius's shoulders slumped as he clearly gave in and, making a face, crammed as much of the flower into his mouth as he could. Gagging, he swallowed and crammed in the rest, shooting out his hand for the next one, which Peter quickly handed to him. This continued for about a minute until the three flowers were gone and Sirius had turned a light shade of green.   
  
    "I think I'm going to be sick," he moaned, grabbing at his stomach.   
  
    "Well, if you throw it up, you'll just have to eat three more," Remus rationalized calmly.   
  
    The other three boys showed immense signs of relief as Sirius, although still green, sat up and calmly shoved his feet back into the fish tank on his own. Peter collapsed into the chair next to the bed as Remus and James plopped down on either side of Sirius.   
  
    At this point, James' shoulders began to hitch and the boy burst into laughter again.   
  
    The other three stared at him incredulously.   
  
    "Well bloody hell mate, you've got _fish_ on your _feet_. Who would've thought Snape had a sense of humor?"   
  
    Slowly, grins crossed the other three boy's faces and by the time Madam Pomfrey returned all four of them were in a state of near hysterics laughing. As she brought Sirius his potion, James was sure she heard her mutter something along the lines of, '_bloody lunatics those boys. each and every one. a miracle they haven't killed themselves yet. **but they're always there for each other**.'_ James, unsure whether he heard the last part correctly, looked to the other Marauders, but apparently they hadn't been paying any attention to Madam Pomfrey's regular ramblings. Deciding he'd heard her correctly, he smiled as he, Remus, and Peter were shooed out of the Hospital Wing and off to class, leaving a calm and amused Sirius behind whose feet were slowly going through a reverse transfiguration process.   
  
  
    _Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry for that horrible initial attempt at coding. My computer hates me recently. And, once again, sorry for the wait. I know I promised the whole story during the break (or did I... I might've just said I'd work on it more now)... I don't know that I'll be able to keep it, but I am going to keep writing this thing. Happy reading! _


	6. Monster Quidditch

  
  


**Monster Quidditch**

  
    "Remember when we thought Bell was nutters?" Rebecca managed to moan and yawn at the same time.   
  
    James, too tired to really acknowledge her, nodded and looked towards the girls' dormitory stairs as Emmaline and Marlene both tottered down groggily, clutching their brooms and scowling.   
  
    "I'm definitely not used to this anymore," Marlene McKinnon moaned.   
  
    Emmaline nodded in agreement and looked over to James. "Sorry about your mate, Potter. He would've made a good reserve Beater. I'm sure he'll make the team next year."   
  
    James rolled his eyes, dropped his broom and then slowly bent to pick it up, before following the three girls out past the Fat Lady. _Stupid Sirius_, James thought._ The prat just** had **to blow up Nackle's office yesterday. And Nackle knew he was going to go out for the team and that if he did, we'd have an unstoppable reserve Beater. Bloody git gave him a Saturday detention just to make sure he couldn't come out for the team. _  
  
    James didn't even notice the girls stop as he was so preoccupied in thought and walked right into Margaret Bell who was having a conversation with Alan.   
  
    "Was it really necessary to have a five a.m. practice, Alan?" Rebecca moaned as she shuffled into the Great Hall and plopped down at the end of the table.   
  
    "We need to regroup as a team after a summer apart before we can even consider letting in an outsider," Alan replied swiftly, clearly wide awake.   
  
    "Outsider?" Emmaline frowned. "That doesn't promote much team camaraderie."   
  
    The two Beaters sat down next to Rebecca and looked blankly at Alan.   
  
    "We need to warm up," Alan reasoned.   
  
    "Bloody lovely," Marlene muttered under her breath, "_I_ need to sleep. I'm going to fall off my ruddy broom up there and won't that look just lovely."   
  
    "Well, you do that, and the person who catches you before you hit the ground we'll consider our Seeker," James replied with a yawn and a smirk before settling in across from them. Nathan MacDonald let out a small chuckle. "Does anyone know who's going out for the spot?"   
  
    "Maddy was going to give it a try," Margaret replied, sitting down next to James.   
  
    "Your sister?"   
  
    "Yeah, poor kid. Peter was all over her all summer, training her up. She really wanted to go out for Beater, but there are no vacancies. She's an alright Seeker though, not as good as Peter, but then again, she never really got much of a chance to play the position whenever we'd have a pick up game."   
  
    There was a thud as Emmaline's head dropped onto the table and into her porridge.   
  
    Alan kicked at her. "Wake _up_, Vance."   
  
    She jumped as his foot connected with her shin and glared at him while she attempted to wipe the porridge off her face. "It's far, far too early for this, Beamish." She gave him an evil look.   
  
    "Let's just go out to the pitch and warm up." Rebecca finally sighed. "I can't believe you scheduled try-outs for six thirty in the morning, you raving madman." She looked in Alan's direction.   
  
    "We want to discourage any spies from other Houses," he stated simply.   
  
    "From Slytherin, you mean," Marlene corrected, standing up and grabbing her broom.   
  
    Alan just shrugged and headed out of the Great Hall. The rest of the team trailed out behind him.   
  
    When they reached the pitch all seven silently climbed onto their brooms and began basic warm-ups. The Chasers lobbed a Quaffle back and forth for a bit, before beginning to do some more difficult formations. The Beaters let a Bludger out and batted it between one another. Both the Keeper and his reserve took turns attempting to score on one another. About a half an hour later, Alan flew to the ground and yelled for the rest of the team to join him.   
  
    A loud noise broke across the lawn and the team turned to see what had to be Hagrid running quickly towards the field.   
  
    "Is that Hagrid?" Emmaline asked, peering in the direction of the large man.   
  
    "There's something ahead of him, I think," Marlene added, pointing. "Oh Merlin, you don't think one of his creatures got loose?"   
  
    "On your broom, now," Alan quickly responded. "If he needs help, we'll try and help him, but until we know what it is… let's just hope it can't fly."   
  
    The entire team immediately hopped back onto their brooms and hovered about ten feet in the air as James and Nathan took off towards Hagrid.   
  
    "What _is_ that?" Nathan yelled to James, looking down. Below them was a lizard like creature with a long, spiked tail that seemed to be dripping something, and in its wake, the creature was leaving a wake off gooey ooze. Occasionally it would dart out its tongue, and when that happened, wherever it landed, the grass would be singed off when it drew its tongue back. James immediately recalled what it was and noted its purple shade.   
  
    "Monster."   
  
    "Clearly."   
  
    "No, my friends had detention with Hagrid at the end of last term, they had to muck out its stall… they said it was a baby then, but… clearly he's grown."   
  
     "And loose. Lovely."   
  
    The boys slowed down as they reached Hagrid. James called out to him, "Do you need some help, Hagrid?"   
  
    The groundskeeper looked surprised to see the boys floating just above his head.   
  
    "Tha's jes Monster. I'm sure I'll 'ave 'im cause in a mo'." Hagrid didn't sound the least bit sure.   
  
    "Certain about that, Hagrid?" Nathan asked.   
  
    "Well, per'aps you lads could stun 'im fer me? Not 'ard, mind ye… 'e's jes a babe." Hagrid looked sadly at the creature attempting to destroy the Hogwarts grounds.   
  
    "Sure," James said and began to race after the creature as he heard Nathan assure Hagrid that they certainly wouldn't stun it hard.   
  
    James sped ahead of the creature and returned to the pitch. Shouting to the rest of the team to follow him and try to stun the thing, he turned around and went after it. He lowered his broom to get a better shot, but had to swerve out of the way to avoid Monster's tail at the last minute. He heard Alan yell out the Stunning spell, but it hit the ground right next to Monster, who then quickly changed course, realizing he was under attack. Emmaline and Marlene both called out the spell at the same time, but they ricochet off the spikes of the creature's tail.   
  
    James swooped in to get another shot, but this time the tail connected and knocked James right off his broom. He saw the purple beast start charging at him, he tried to point his wand but couldn't. James suddenly realized he couldn't move his arm at all without excruciating pain. Monster was closing in and James could see it opening it's mouth to shoot out it's tongue. Then everything went black.   


~~*~~

  
    Sirius woke up and glanced over towards James's bed, only to remember that he had Quidditch practice before the tryouts. _The tryouts_, Sirius scowled. _The world seems to be against me playing Quidditch._ Never one to hold most grudges for long (with the exceptions of Nackle and Snape), Sirius sighed softly and then rolled to the other side of his bed and kicked his legs out from the sheets and onto the floor. He looked over, surprised to see Peter already awake and sitting at his desk.   
  
    "It's six in the ruddy morning, Pete, what are you doing?" he asked as he crossed the room rubbing the sleep out of his eye.   
  
    "Would you keep it down, they're still sleeping," he gestured towards Remus and Frank's respective beds.   
  
    Sirius put his hand on Peter's shoulder and leaned over him to look down at the parchments spread out before his friend. His eyes widened in shock. The last time he'd seen Peter working on the map, all he'd had charted was that stupid closet. Lying before him now was what appeared to be an entire skeleton sketch of the castle.   
  
    "Clearly it's still missing a lot…" Peter began in a quiet voice.   
  
    "This is bleeding brilliant," Sirius exclaimed, clapping Peter on the back.   
  
    "Shhhhh, you prat!"   
  
    Sirius saw Peter shake his head slightly and was relatively sure that Peter was considering the pointlessness of shushing _him_ of all people. This made Sirius grin.   
  
    "What're those numbers?" Sirius pointed to a sheet of calculations.   
  
    "No idea at all," Peter replied with a slight grin. "James and Remus worked them out, they think it'll help with one of the charms we'll need to put on later to get the broom closet to move along the correct track."   
  
    "So Remus and James did that?"   
  
    Peter nodded and continued his rendering.   
  
    "And you drew this?"   
  
    Peter nodded once more.   
  
    _And I've done nothing but yell at you that you were doing it all wrong._ Sirius winced. He glanced to the clock in the center of the room that had the five boy's names on it. Remus and Frank's hands were still firmly planted on 'sleeping', Sirius was on 'awake', Peter was on 'studying' and James was on 'Qui-'. Sirius cocked his head to one side as he watched the hand spin from 'Quidditch' to 'danger'.   
  
    "What?" Sirius took a step towards the clock.   
  
    "Hmm?" Peter asked distractedly, turning around with a pencil stuck in his mouth and a quill behind his ear.   
  
    Sirius pointed at the clock and at James's hand on it. Peter's eyes widened.   
  
    "How could he be in danger? He's only at Quidditch," Peter asked quietly. "The clock must be off. Or maybe his hand is broken or maybe-"  
  
    "Belt up," Sirius cut him off. "Let's go." Sirius grabbed his robe and shoved his feet into his shoes and Peter quickly followed suit.   
  
    "Should we wake Remus?"   
  
    Sirius hesitated for a moment and then shook his head negative. "If anything is really wrong, we'll come back and get him. Let's go, then."   
  
    The two boys quickly and quietly rushed out of the dorm, down the steps, through the common room, past the portrait of the Fat Lady and down towards the large wooden doors that empties out onto the lawn.   
  
    "Is that Hagrid?" Peter asked as he scurried along behind Sirius towards the pitch.   
  
    Sirius groaned, "Tell me that's not Monster. Bugger and blast!" He sped up, leaving Peter to fall farther and farther behind.   
  
    "Black?" Alan Beamish looked over surprised and then looked past him. "Pettigrew? What're you lot doing down here?"   
  
    "Our clock said James was in danger." Peter wheezed as he caught up to the other two boys.   
  
    Alan's eyes widened and then Sirius noticed that James wasn't on the pitch. Neither was Rebecca Longbottom, Nathan MacDonald or Margaret Bell. Emmaline Vance and Marlene McKinnon were trying to calm down Madison Bell who was on the pitch for some reason.   
  
    "Where is everyone?"   
  
    "Infirmary," Beamish replied, clearly trying to hide the fact that he was rather shaken up. "That thing," he gestured violently at Monster, "tried to kill half my team."   
  
    "Are they alright?" Sirius asked, taking a step towards the boy and raising his voice.   
  
    "Aye, they'll be jes fine, lad."   
  
    Sirius spun around to see Hagrid tending to Monster.   
  
    "Monster hurt them?" Sirius asked angrily.   
  
    "Ah, don't get mad at 'im, Mr. Black, it's me fault 'tis." Hagrid rolled Monster over, ducking as his tail flopped by him.   
  
    "What happened to them?" Sirius could feel his blood beginning to boil and was already cursing himself for not bringing out his wand with him so he could try a nice reducto curse on that bloody creature.   
  
    "Jest a few burns. Miz Bell and Miz Longbottom levitated Mr. Potter n Mr. MacDonald off te tha 'Ospital Wing."   
  
    With that, Sirius and Peter both spun around and ran back towards the castle.   
  
    "That thing has more poison in it than Nackle's classroom," Sirius spit out angrily. "I swear, if it hurt James too badly…"  
  
    Sirius's angry ravings were accompanied by Peter's labored breaths as the two ran through the castle towards the Hospital Wing. They burst through the door and stopped short.   
  
    Sitting on the bed nearest the door, Nathan MacDonald was covered in a thick orange paste talking with Margaret Bell. She was clearly trying to distract him as the paste seemed to a little unpleasant.   
  
    "I hear there's rumor of a broom called a Twigger being made," Margaret was telling him. "But they don't expect it to hit the market for some time yet. Just as well, I rather like mine. A lot of people say Swiftsticks are on their way out, but I think there's still a market for them."   
  
    Nathan let out a soft groan and Margaret's façade caved.   
  
    "Oh, Nate, I'm so sorry this happened, do you need anything? Can I get you-"  
  
    He cut her off, "Could you just keep talking? It's kind of distracting, I appreciate it."   
  
    "Of course," Margaret replied, wringing her hands trying to think of a topic. She jumped a bit when Nathan chuckled.   
  
    "What's this I hear about you and Henry Wood?"   
  
    Margaret's eyed widened and she blushed. "So, have you read _The Noble Sport of Warlocks_ by Quintius Umfraville?"   
  
    "Never heard of it, where'd you get it from?" Nathan made a move to scratch at the paste, but Margaret slapped his hand.   
  
    "Er… Henry gave it to me for my birthday, but it's actually an alright book, if you ignore the obvious implication of 'noble sport of warlocks'… bit sexist it was, but full of some really useful information-"  
  
    Their voices trailed off as Peter and Sirius continued past them towards where they thought they heard Rebecca's voice.   
  
    "I swear Potter, if you try to scratch that paste one more time, I'll stun you."   
  
    "Get off it Longbottom, my skin itches like mad and my insides are burning and making me dizzy, the least you can let me do is scratch the bloody thing."   
  
    "No."   
  
    "Argh." James let out a howl of anguish and annoyance.   
  
    "Alright… time for a distraction. Remember how we learned about horklumps in Care of Magical Creatures earlier in the week? When we were little, Frank really liked mushrooms and we wound up with a horklump infestation in out garden because dad made us degnome it a few too many times, and we were playing out there and Frank got hungry and decided he was just going to eat one of the mushrooms."   
  
    "I thought you said they were horklumps," James replied, trying to follow the story despite the fact that his burns were itching and the room was spinning.   
  
    "Oh." She grinned wickedly. "They were. That was our first trip to St. Mungo's. He hasn't eaten a mushroom, or a horklump, since."   
  
    James chuckled weakly, but his face lit up as the curtain was pulled back and Peter and Sirius stood before him.   
  
    "What're you lot doing here? Where's Remus?"   
  
    "Sleeping, go get him Peter," Sirius told the boy. Peter rolled his eyes but turned to leave as James called out.   
  
    "Don't bother waking him up for me."   
  
    Sirius shook his head and reiterated, "Go get him Peter." The chubby boy nodded and started back out towards the entrance to the infirmary.   
  
    "What the bleeding hell happened here, mate?"   
  
    "A bit of a run in with Monster," James groaned. Suddenly he turned to Rebecca. "You have to get back down to the pitch, we've still got tryouts to run. You lot can handle without one Chaser and the reserve Keeper."   
  
    Rebecca looked at him as though she couldn't quite decide what to do when Emmaline showed up next to James' bed.   
  
    "Vance?"   
  
    "Alright then, Potter?"   
  
    "I will be."   
  
    "Good, listen you lot," she turned towards Rebecca and James, ignoring Sirius. "Madison Bell is the only one who showed up anyway, we put her through a few paces and it looks like Peter definitely trained her this summer. Would either of you have a complaint if we just took her?"   
  
    "Well, all the Bell's seem to be good at Quidditch… if she's anything like her brother and sister, then sure," Rebecca agreed.   
  
    "Yeah, alright," James added.   
  
    "Good," the tall girl conceded. "Beamish says to listen to whatever Pomfrey says because if you're not back on the pitch by Wednesday, he'll come up here and kick your arse." Then she smiled sweetly. "Feel better though, James. You got hit a lot worse than Nathan, he's almost ready to head back to the common room."   
  
    James nodded miserably. "You might want to tell Beamish that kicking my arse really won't help things if it comes to that."   
  
    "I told you guys he was going to be another nutter captain." She smirked and made her way back out through the curtain.   
  
    "Madison Bell?" Sirius asked his friend.   
  
    Despite his present state, James managed to chuckle. "Yeah, Sirius. Madison Bell."   
  
    "Cor! The year I can't even go out for the team." He glared miserably at the wall.   
  
    "Next year, I'm sure," James replied quickly.   
  
    "Just as well, Black, you'd probably terrify her. Poor kid," Rebecca said with a smirk.   
  
    There was a rustling of the curtains as Peter and a thoroughly disheveled Remus came through.   
  
    "Are you alright?" Remus asked.   
  
    "I'll be fine," James snapped, clearly beginning to get a little sick of the question.   
  
    "I think I'm going to head back down to the pitch, ask Hagrid if he needs any help," Rebecca said as she rose.   
  
    "You're voluntarily going back near that thing?" Sirius asked. "You're beyond mad."   
  
    She grinned. "It didn't seem like it would be so bad if it wasn't agitated, clearly something scared it." A thoughtful look crossed her face. "I'd assume an entire Quidditch team up on their brooms shooting spells at you would make most creatures a bit nervous." She shrugged. "And it's stunned right now, perfectly safe."   
  
    Sirius shook his head at her.   
  
    "Just don't tell Frank if you run into him, alright?" The boys nodded and she left.   
  
    "Bloody lunatic, that one," Peter commented, as Sirius nodded and even Remus looked in the direction she'd just gone skeptically.   
  
    "What happened?" Remus asked.   
  
    "Monster." Sirius replied, crossing his arms.   
  
    "What kind of monster?"   
  
    "No, Monster. Remember, the purple crintortoris."   
  
    "Sweet Merlin," Remus gasped. "You're lucky to have lived through that." He pointed to the orange paste covering parts of James's body. "From it's tongue?"   
  
    James nodded.   
  
    "It's tail didn't get you, did it?"   
  
    "Yeah, Madame Pomfrey went off to talk to Professor Kettleburn about a remedy. She thinks he might be able to recognize the poison. It's not all that bad, just makes me really dizzy… I can't walk."   
  
    "Lovely," Remus commented dryly, sinking into the chair across from the bed.   
  
    Sirius smirked. "Well, whatever they give you to clear up that poison, it can't possibly be worse than that dittany was."   
    _Author's Note: **Happy 2004 Everyone!!** I tried to get this up yesterday… but that didn't work out... Sorry :0(   
Once again, I'm begging for prank ideas if any of you have some, it would certainly help out. I'm stumped right now for something for the Marauders to do to the Slytherins (especially Snape... it's been a while since there's been any trouble brewing there).   
     So, some fun things to look forwards to in the next chapter: ancient runes homework! a miraculous save curtosy of the traveling broom closet! a chat with Dumbledore! Moony! the results of the Quidditch robe prank from the beginning!  
Thanks for all the reviews guys, they're awesome and they make my day! 
_


	7. Aborigine Cantaloupes

****

Aborigine Cantaloupes

Later that afternoon, Sirius and Remus were back in the common room celebrating the addition of Madison Bell to the Quidditch team along with the rest of the House.

Peter had brought his Ancient Runes text down to the hospital wing and was getting tutored by James while he waited for Madam Pomfrey to find the antidote to the crintortoris' poison. Sirius had had to leave shortly after Rebecca to go off to his detention, but Remus had remained long enough to make sure James was situated. At least Madam Pomfrey had been able to quickly and easily take care of the burns, leaving James just dizzy from the poison rather than dizzy and itchy.

Frank walked up to them and sat down. "Are any of you blokes ever going to tell me why I helped hide a menagerie in our loo the other day?"

"Nope."

"Sorry."

Frank nodded, stood up and walked back over towards the Gryffindor Five. At that moment, Remus felt bad for Frank.

"Do you think we should try to include Frank more?" Remus asked Sirius.

"Huh?"

"Don' t you think it would be bloody horrible to have to spend seven years in a dormitory with four other boys who are best mates and leave you out of everything they do?"

"That would be pretty horrible."

"That's what we do to Frank."

Sirius sat silently for a moment. "He has his own best friends… they're just not all in this House. And he gets along with the girls better anyway. I think it's a bit late to include him like… like we include each other."

This time Remus sat quietly.

"You know, we could never really tell him why there were animals. It would lead to other questions… are you sure you want to answer them?" Sirius looked to Remus.

Remus sighed. "No, I don't. I just feel bad about it all sometimes."

"I guess we still haven't killed that conscience of yours yet, eh?"

"This isn't something like torturing Snape…"

"I guess we could include him in some things, once in a while."

"Nevermind, Sirius… I was just thinking aloud." Remus chuckled. "Blame it on the moon."

"You blame everything on the moon."

"I'm just a moony kind of guy," Remus chimed.

Sirius groaned. "That was a horrible pun. Moony."

"Moony," Remus repeated, a strange look on his face.

"Well, come on Moony, let's go check on those other two gits… make sure James isn't trying to beat Peter to death with that text yet."

Remus chuckled. "Alright."

"Er, no. That's Constantinople, not cantaloupe, Peter," James said, pointing to the symbols on the paper with one hand and running his hand through his messy hair with the other.

Peter muttered something that James couldn't quite catch and reached for his text. "_Why_ would that be Constantinople?"

"Probably because we're supposed to be translating a passage about Constantine's overcompensation attempts once he found out he was a Squib. _Why_ would it be cantaloupe?"

Peter groaned and sunk his head onto his desk. "I should've taken my chances with another acromantula rather than this. _Smart_ people take Ancient Runes, not me."

"You are smart, you git, you just overlooked the big picture in this case. Keep going, I've probably got at least another twenty minutes before Pomfrey frees me." He tilted his head from one side, then to the other and then squinted his eyes as he looked at Peter's paper. "Does that say 'ancient' or 'aborigine'?"

Peter narrowed his eyes at his paper and let out a sigh. "I'm assuming it should've been 'ancient'?"

"Well… aborigine cantaloupes could be an interesting conversation topic in class next week." James smirked.

"If you weren't ill…" Peter mumbled under his breath, attempting to suppress a grin at the idea. He sighed again, rolled up his parchment and stuck his quill into his satchel along with the text. "Have you heard Sirius's latest brilliant idea?"

James perked up. "No."

"He wants to steal one shoe from every pair in the dorm."

"Huh?"

"That was more or less the same response I had."

"One shoe?"

"That's a lot of shoes."

"Clearly."

The boys stopped talking as the clicking heels of Madam Pomfrey's shoes echoed through the infirmary. She approached James' bed and checked the areas where he'd gotten hit by the crintortoris's tail. She made a slight clucking noise and changed the bandages.

"Alright, Mr. Potter, off you go. But if you have any problems, or those wounds start to bleed or ooze again-"

"I'll come right back." James flashed the smile he reserved for charming adults. It rarely failed him and this time was no exception. She offered him back a quick smile.

"Well, go on now, young man, and do try to stay away from Hagrid's… pets… in the future."

"Yes, ma'am." James readily agreed, hopping out of bed and pulling on a new uniform Peter had brought down with him. The two boys quickly exited the hospital wing.

"You up for a stop in the kitchens, James?" Peter asked. James grinned at him.

"I'm always up for breaking any rule, mate," James replied, changing direction.

The two boys walked on in a companionable silence through several corridors until they heard a very familiar and unwelcome voice coming from a nearby hallway. James and Peter stopped short and leaned against the wall to listen.

"My brother said-"

"Your brother is a prat, Malfoy. I'd be as likely to trust what he says as I would to date a Hufflepuff."

There was a small chorus of laughter that cut off abruptly.

"Did something I say strike you as amusing?"

A moment's pause.

"Is there a reason you surround yourself with minions that carry the combined mental facilities of a dead hippogriff?"

"Is there a reason you need to be such a hag, Bella?"

"It's Black, Malfoy. I've never given you any iota of permission to address me otherwise. Now what the hell did you want to meet me here for?"

"I was _trying_ to tell you." The whine was clear in his voice. "My brother said the Dark Lord is looking towards the future. Looking for those he will be able to trust in the years to come."

"You're implying that Voldemort is enlisting school aged children?" The bitter voice was full of scorn. "I really don't think I need worry about a madman who thinks children will be of aid to him. Clearly the Ministry is more inept that I'd initially thought if they're incapable of catching the man."

"Or perhaps the Dark Lord is more brilliant than all of us, _Black_. Perhaps he foresees a long reign, to well beyond the time when we'll be considered children. Perhaps he figures it wise to know who is on his side and who is against him by the time we exit Hogwarts."

There was a long pause.

"Have you spoken with the others about this?"

"Clearly, as Crabbe, Goyle and Nott are here, they are aware and are prepared to pledge their allegiance to him whenever the opportunity arises."

"And Snape? Port? Zark? Umbridge?"

"Zark and Port are thinking it over, the invitation has been extended. Snape may need some persuading. He has not yet been informed, yet we are sure that in the end, he will join us. The Dark Lord will be happy to have his talents, especially with potions, available to him."

"Umbridge?"

"You are joking, correct?"

Bellatrix let out a cruel laugh.

"Perhaps your Dark Lord shows more intelligence that I initially gave him credit for." There was a moment of silence. "And the other Houses?"

"I do not believe such liberal invitations are being offered to them as they are to us. Undoubtedly though, many will wish to join and some will be accepted."

"Then, for the time being, my answer is the same as Port and Zark, I will think on it. Good day, boys."

Footsteps headed their way and Peter and James exchanged startled glances. Suddenly Peter's eyes widened and he grabbed James, pulling him into the broom closet that had appeared behind them.

"Merlin bless your bloody broom closet, mate." James whispered as Bellatrix Black's footsteps walked unhesitatingly past the door and down the corridor. Then the familiar portkey-like hook caught them and they tumbled out in front of the kitchens.

The two boys lay in a heap for a moment staring blankly at one another.

"They're discussing _joining_ Voldemort. That was what they were talking about, wasn't it?" James managed nearly a full minute later.

Peter nodded dumbly.

"Why?"

Peter looked as confused and frightened as James did. "Should we tell Dumbledore?"

James eyes widened. "Yeah, I reckon we should."

James Potter stood eyeing the statue before him. Both he and Peter had spent the last twenty minutes trying to figure out the password to let them into Dumbledore's office and not a single try had been successful.

"We're getting nowhere with this." He sighed.

Peter's stomach grumbled. "I know. _And_ I'm still starving. I'd kill for a box of Cockroach Clusters right now."

The statue sprang to the side and a set of stairs began to spin upwards. James gawked at Peter.

"How'd you do that?"

Peter shrugged, but followed James onto the staircase. When they arrived at the top, they knocked on the door and listened as Dumbledore bade them to enter.

He smiled kindly at the two boys and gestured toward seats across from his desk.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. How may I help you?"

"Well, Professor…" James stopped, unsure of how to word such accusations against his classmates. He might not like them, but these were serious issues he was about to rise.

Professor Dumbledore sat back patiently, waiting for James to find the words to continue.

"You see, we overheard something we really shouldn't have…" James looked over to Peter who just nodded slightly, as though words had left him entirely too.

The Headmaster just nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"Apparently, erm…" Peter began, trying to help. Both James and Professor Dumbledore seemed rather surprised when he began to talk. Peter took a deep breath. "We overheard several Slytherins talking…" He rushed on. "And we're not here because they're _Slytherins_, I mean, everyone knows Gryffindors aren't on good terms with most Slytherins, but what they were saying well… it was really wrong and well…" Peter trailed off, apparently realizing that this wasn't going the way he hoped. He glanced to James, whose eyes implored him to go on. Taking another deep breath, he continued. "They were discussing V-v-v-voldemort and well… some of them seem to agree with his ideas and they want to join him…"

Peter stopped talking and glanced up to the Headmaster. The old professor leaned back in his chair and diverted his eyes towards the window, a look of pure sorrow on his face.

After a long pause, James asked quietly, "Do you want to know who they are, sir?"

Dumbledore turned back to the boys and smiled very sadly. "No, Mr. Potter. They still have time to change their minds and some, I'm quite sure, will. Just as I am sure that others who are against him now, will someday side with him."

The two boys glanced at one another as the Headmaster averted his attention to the window.

"I do believe they are having a celebratory feast in honor of Ms. Bell in your common room, gentlemen. Perhaps it is time for one of Gryffindor's Chasers to join the rest of his team?" the professor offered softly.

"Yes, sir. We're very sorry to have bothered you," James said quickly, as he stood up.

Dumbledore immediately turned his head to look at James. "Mr. Potter, you have not bothered me one bit and coming to me upon hearing this news was not the incorrect thing to do. Do not worry your conscience over this matter, as I will deal with it as the need arises. It is useful information, but one is innocent until they are proven guilty. Thank you for informing me."

"Yes, sir," both boys mumbled together and hastily retreated from the office.

"That's not the decision I would've made," Peter commented as they made their way down the steps.

"Yeah, but I've just come to learn it's best to trust what he says… he's always right it seems."

"Would you look at that?"

Remus nudged James to get his attention and gestured towards Sirius. The tall boy was sitting on a nearby couch with Madison Bell. James shook his head slightly and then followed Remus's pointing finger over towards the corner the Gryffindor Five had been occupying. Much to James's surprise, he saw Tessa shooting death looks towards the newest Gryffindor Seeker.

"Where did you two go anyway?" Remus asked, turning his attention back to James. "Sirius and I went to go meet up with you and Peter in the infirmary and you were already gone."

James hesitated and looked around. "This isn't really the place to discuss that. Later though, alright mate?"

Remus gave him a puzzled expression and then nodded. The two boys looked on in surprise as Madison patted Sirius on the hand and then walked over to her sister, giggling as she walked.

Sirius, looking love struck, walked over to the two Marauders. "Did you see that, Moony?"

"Moony?" James asked with a raised eyebrow.

Remus just shook his head and shrugged. "What was I supposed to see?"

"She loves me."

"Er… I wouldn't be so sure she _loves_ you."

Sirius cocked his head to the side and appeared to contemplate that. Then he turned his attention back to the two boys. "Of course she does. How could she not?"

He turned and began to walk over to where Peter and Frank were playing Exploding Snap.

"Is he serious?" Remus whispered to James.

"Frightening, isn't it?" The two boys shared a laugh. "So what's going on with you and Mel?"

Remus jumped as though he'd been cursed. "Nothing."

"Really? How'd she obtain a book recommendation from you?"

"Book recommendation?" Remus looked a little too innocent.

"When we ran into her on the Hogwarts Express she was reading a book you said was good." James shot his friend, who was now running his hands rapidly through his hair creating an amusing disheveled look.

"What book?"

James shrugged. "Some science fiction writer, stop dodging the question, _Moony_."

"We sent a few owls back and forth, that was all." Remus stared resolutely down at his feet. "I'm going to head up to bed. I'm tired."

Before James could open his mouth to protest, Remus was already halfway up the steps to the boys' dormitory.

"Hey, Potter."

He turned to see Rebecca Longbottom holding out a butterbeer towards him.

"Strange how we always seem to have stuff like butterbeer around for parties isn't it?" She smiled at him and sat down in a nearby armchair. James accepted the drink and followed her lead.

"Strange," he acknowledged and tipped the bottle back, letting the warm liquid flow down his throat.

She peered at his bandage. "Are you alright?"

"Pomfrey let me out, didn't she?" he replied quickly.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "I was just commenting."

"I'm fine."

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for a long moment. "Alan was worried about you, is all…"

"Alan?" James turned his head to look at her. "The same boy you went to huge lengths to avoid at the end of last year?"

Rebecca turned scarlet. "Well, he's not so bad really…"

"Strange how things can change over a summer." James commented, not entirely sure why he was behaving so abruptly.

"No kidding, Potter," Rebecca replied shortly, standing up. "You _used_ to be a nice guy." She quickly walked over towards where her brother, Peter and Sirius were engaged in a game of Exploding Snap but halfway there changed directions and sat down with Alan Beamish and Margaret Bell.

"I _am_ a nice guy," James muttered under his breath before he downed the rest of his butterbeer and stalked upstairs.

"Did you _see_ Broderick Bode and Adam Avery this morning?" Molly McGuire hissed loudly at Mary Ollivander.

"Did you see the Slytherin's new Chaser try to _kiss_ Madam Pomfrey?" Mary exclaimed back excitedly.

Sirius unsuccessfully tried to bite back a snort. The two girls whirled around.

Molly rolled her eyes. "We should've known."

"Really girls," James jumped in before the two Ravenclaw third years could continue, "what on Earth could we possibly do to make some Slytherin want to kiss the school nurse?"

"I wouldn't put anything beyond you lot," Mary commented, giving all four boys a quick once over.

Remus held up his hands in a gesture of innocence and Peter looked completely confused. Both girls let out exasperated sighs and turned back to face forward in their seats.

The four boys exchanged a look of triumph and settled back into their seats as Professor McGonagall walked into the classroom.

The Marauders had taken it upon themselves to begin actually paying attention in class in case Professor McGonagall mentioned anything pertaining to Animagi transformations, so the other three didn't notice when Remus looked up, startled, to try and figure out where the piece of parchment that just showed up on his desk had come from.

_Hello Remus. This class is dreadfully dull sometimes, don't you think? –M_

Startled, Remus's eyes darted towards every person in the classroom whose name began with an M. _It can't be,_ he thought as his eyes met with the last person in the room. _She wrote me a note._

He hesitated, _clearly not a Marauder at heart… you never write the person's name, that's incriminating evidence,_ then wrote: **_Yes, sometimes. How was the rest of the celebration last night? _**and then waited for McGonagall to turn around until he Banished the note across the room to her. She grinned and then turned her attention to the parchment.

Nearly five minutes passed before Professor McGonagall turned to the chalkboard again and the note sped across to him.

_Emmaline Vance and Marlene McKinnon got into Divination over the summer so Tessa disappeared into some corner with them and harassed first years to let the three of them tell their futures. The smart ones ran away. I played a round of Exploding Snap with Sirius but he beat me… he usually does and then a round of Wizard Chess with Peter. I won. Around midnight Professor McGonagall came in and told us all to calm down and get some sleep._

Remus grinned. _Peter never stands a chance against anybody in Wizard Chess_, he thought. Distracted, Remus tried to turn his teapot into a turtle and winced as a puff of smoke and a hamster emerged.

"Bloody hell," he muttered and glanced over to see Melissa not even trying to hide her giggles as she scooped up her turtle with a flower pattern on its shell.

"Moony, did _you_ just screw up a basic transfiguration?" Sirius whispered amusedly.

"Oh sod off, you git," Remus hissed back as he turned the hamster back into a teapot and the teapot into a slightly porcelain looking turtle, scowling at both James and Sirius who had perfect little green turtles toddling around their desks. __

Remus reached for the parchment after ensuring that the other Marauders were preoccupied trying to catch the angry snake Peter had produced. **_I thought Cortessa had given up on that Divination stuff. I'm glad you had fun though. _**He stopped and looked at that last line.

_What if she thinks we mean more than we mean by that?_

**What **more **_could we mean? The entire castle knows we like her._**

When did 'we' start thinking in plural?

**Leave it. For Merlin's sake, she wrote to you **all**_ summer. Just maybe she likes you too._**

Or maybe she was just bored being stuck in the Muggle world.

Remus shook his head, trying to clear it as he stared at the parchment. He hesitated, and then continued. **_I think I need to help Peter and the others with that snake now. I'm going-_**

Remus gasped in horror as the parchment went sailing out from under his quill into Professor McGonagall's hand.

"Mr. Lupin? This doesn't appear to relate to Transfiguration," she commented, the entire class stopping what they were doing to watch the exchange.

_Please don't let her read it aloud, please don't let her read it aloud, please don't let her read it aloud, please don't_- Remus's fervent thoughts were interrupted by the professor's stern tone.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Lupin. Please be sure to keep your attention on the subject at hand in the future." She quickly lit the parchment and as it disintegrated into flames, Remus breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied and then let out a yelp of pain. He turned to Peter and pointed under his desk. "I found your snake, Pete."

James, Sirius and Peter's eyes all widened as the three finally succeeded in capturing the snake.

"Is it poisonous?" Remus asked, looking to Peter as the room began to spin.

"I don't know," the small, chubby boy replied anxiously.

Remus tried to nod, but the room was spinning too quickly. "I think it might be," he managed to whisper before he slumped over in his seat.


	8. A Wizard's Debt

****

A Wizard's Debt

"You know, mates, I was trying to avoid magical creatures by not taking the class this year," Remus muttered when he awoke later in the Hospital Wing.

"I'm so sorry," Peter blubbered immediately. "It was my stupid snake."

"Don't worry about it," Remus replied. The pair was silenced by the unmistakable clicks of Madam Pomfrey's shoes on the floor.

"Awake then?" She bustled in and began to recite spells to check his vital signs as she jabbered at him. She nodded to herself and pulled a vial out of her robes. "Drink this and then you can head out. It'll finish counteracting the poison."

She stood expectantly as Remus uncorked the vial and took a whiff. He gagged.

"Never smell it first, mate," Sirius offered with a smirk. "How many times do we have to tell you?"

Remus shook his head in disgust and downed the vial in one gulp. "Sweet Merlin," he gasped as he handed the empty vial back to the nurse. "I can go now?"

Madam Pomfrey gave him a quick once over, tutted twice and then nodded.

Remus sat up, tossed his legs over the side of the bed and followed the other three Marauders out of the hospital wing.

"We've spent far too much time in there this year," he muttered, ignoring the throbbing in his foot.

"No kidding," James agreed, glancing at his watch. "Lovely, she let us out just in time for Herbology.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Peter said, leading the way through the corridors as the other three trailed behind.

"What if we skived off for the rest of the day?" Sirius interjected. "The four of us haven't ever gone into Hogsmeade together."

"For good reason," Remus said. "We're not supposed to be there. It'd be just wonderful to finally be allowed to go as a group and to have that privilege revoked because we got careless about that passageway."

"And I _like_ Herbology," Peter added, continuing towards the main entrance to the castle.

Sirius let out a loud sigh of defeat, but followed the others towards the greenhouses, quickly forgetting about his previous idea and moving onto his latest one.

"Have I told you mates about my idea for Snape? It involves a large vat of mayonnaise…"

James turned towards his long haired friend with an expression of interest on his face as Remus stifled a groan and Peter hurried along towards the greenhouse.

"Peter Pettigrew? What are you doing out here?"

The boy whirled around and tried to shove the broomstick he was holding behind his back, an attempt he failed at miserably.

He let out a soft groan and looked to the tall, slender girl.

"I was going to fly… or try to that is…"

Rebecca Longbottom raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I thought you weren't very good at it. You should know better than to go flying alone."

"You're flying alone."

"_I_ haven't nearly killed myself on numerous occasions on my broomstick."

Thinking back to several Quidditch games, Peter felt a look of defiance cross his face as she quickly added to her comment.

"When I'm just flying that is… Quidditch is another story."

Peter's countenance collapsed in defeat.

"Nevermind, I'll just head inside. I should finish my Astronomy homework, it's due tonight."

Rebecca shrugged and threw her leg over her broomstick. She hovered about three feet in the air next to him.

"Or we could fly together, if you'd like. I know what your problem is, you've just got no confidence in the air."

"Or on the ground," he muttered, glancing desperately at his broom. He continued in a low voice. "It's just that they're _all_ so good at every bloody thing and I'm not even mediocre…" He shook the thoughts out of his head and glanced quickly at Rebecca, hoping she hadn't heard what he'd just said. Her face was unreadable.

"Well," she offered a moment later. "You know what to do. If I recall correctly, you _did_ pass flying… somehow."

Peter let out a bitter chuckle. "Because I _tried_, she probably would've felt bad failing me."

"Still, you do know the basics. If you're coming… come on." She sailed up to hover around ten feet and looked down at him.

He took a deep breath and put the broom down next to him.

"Up."

The broom rolled feebly on the ground.

"It knows you don't want to get on it. For Merlin's sake, Peter, just take command of the situation."

Peter glared down at the broom and every angry feeling he'd ever had towards being 'little Peter Pettigrew, just why do those other three hang around with _him_' came soaring towards him and he let them out as he yelled.

"Up."

The broom flew into his hands. He glanced up at Rebecca who looked down at him with a clearly surprised expression on her face.

"If you keep that up, you'll be flying like a professional Quidditch player before you know it."

He nodded and turned his attention to mounting the broom. He tossed his leg over and, still concentrating on how superior the other three Marauders always seemed to him, he flew up next to Rebecca.

"Did you practice over the summer?" she asked, clearly surprised.

"No, there's nowhere to practice. I'm Muggleborn," he told her. The conversation broke his concentration. Suddenly he realized that his anger and jealousy of the other Marauders was what had gotten him into the air and he felt sick. The broom started to wobble, but he couldn't pay attention to it.

_What was I thinking? It's not their fault they're good at everything any more than it's my fault I'm not. **They** don't care about that stuff at all. So what if Sirius can never crack open a book and still remain in the top half of our classes? So what if he and James can both do all that Animagi stuff on their own and I just about always need help, even with the simplest concept?. So what if Remus is a genius at Defense Against the Dark Arts?_

"Peter!"

Rebecca's terrified shriek shocked him out of his reverie. When Peter tried to glance over to her, he realized she was no longer next to him. He had somehow shot straight up in the air and was now several hundred feet above Hogwarts.

"Peter, come down! You're too high."

She sounded flat out panic stricken and Peter could see why. The panic quickly overtook him too and the broom stopped responding to him altogether. A moment later, the broom shook him off entirely and he was plummeting head first towards the grounds. He heard Rebecca's terrified scream.

_I'm going to die. I'm going to die because I wanted to learn how to ride a broom as well as James. Because I was sick of Sirius finishing the Animagi primer spells before I did. Because Remus passed the last Defense test and I didn't. I'm going to crash headfirst into the grounds and I'll be dead before Madam Pomfrey can even get to me._

He closed his eyes and tried to prepare for the impact. _At least it'll be quick. _Once again he was shocked out of his reverie by a jarring sensation.

"Peter! Peter! Are you alright? Oh, sweet, sweet Merlin, I can't believe I caught you. Are you alright? Talk, Peter! Talk!"

Peter looked dazedly at her. He could feel her broom across his back and her body behind him and a piercing pain in his left arm.

"I'm so sorry I hurt your arm, but I had to grab you."

The girl was shaking. __

"I'm alive?" he whispered.

She burst into tears.

He looked down. The ground was less than ten feet away. Then he passed out.

"Peter?"

The world was swimming back into focus. _I'm going to be in the hospital wing. James, Sirius and Remus will be here too… and they're going to make fun of me for even trying to ride a broom._

"Peter?"

_Maybe I can just keep my eyes closed forever. That's it. I'll just stay here until June with my eyes closed._

"Peter?"

_That's a girl's voice. Who is that?_

"Peter? Come on, you prat. I can tell you're awake."

_Becca._

"What?"

Peter opened one eye and squinted at her. He was surprised to see that while they were indeed in the hospital wing, the Marauders were nowhere nearby. He was also surprised to see her face all splotchy as though she'd been crying and her eyes red.

"Are you crying?"

She straightened up and drew her arm angrily across her eyes and nose. "No, I'm not."

Suddenly the earlier event came back in full force, assaulting his senses. "Sweet Merlin, you saved my life."

She shook her head. "Not really, I mean… I was just lucky. That last gust of wind caught you too… if it hadn't, I wouldn't've… in time…"

"But you did." He sat up, taking note that his arm had been mended while he was unconscious. "I owe you a Wizard's Debt."

"Peter, don't worry about it." Rebecca scooted farther away from him in her seat. "It was just luck."

"No," he insisted. "Remus, James, Sirius, they've all told me about Wizard's Debts… and I agree with them. I owe you my life Becca."

She sat silently for a moment. "Alright Peter. But don't expect me to be asking any huge favors anytime soon."

He grinned slightly at her.

She matched his grin. "Although, there is that horrid Herbology assignment due next week that I haven't even begun yet."

The two burst into mutual laughter as Peter tossed his pillow at her head.

Madam Pomfrey quickly walked up to the bed and proclaimed Peter fit to leave the hospital wing.

The two Gryffindors walked out of the infirmary and towards the Tower.

"Why didn't you get the Marauders?" Peter asked quietly.

"I'm sorry," Rebecca looked surprised. "I didn't really think you'd want me to. I thought of trying to fetch just Remus… but I didn't know how to get him away from the others." She shrugged. "I'm not sure I'd want you to fetch Frank if I fell off my broom." 

Peter relaxed. "Thanks Becca… Are you going to tell them?"

"No."

"Thanks."

The two walked along in silence until finally Peter broke it.

"So what did you tell Madam Pomfrey?"

"Are you familiar with Hagrid's new pet muklucks?"

"Oh Merlin…"

"Hey Sirius."

The lanky boy turned and offered the girl a dazzling grin. "Cortessa Maris, lovely to see you darling. What brings you this way?"

"Not a what, a who. Who else? Mel shoved a bloody dungbomb in my bag this morning. It went off during bloody Latin Studies. The professor gave me detention. You?"

"I er… accidentally freed the jarveys in Care of Magical Creatures, would you believe Kettleburn didn't think it was an accident!"

"With your sparkling reputation, how could he not?" Tessa placed a hand over her heart in mock indignation. "Where was your partner in crime?"

"Potter? That sod went off and worked with Becca this morning. Daft lad thinks I'm a distraction."

"Whoever would've thought?" She smiled at him, he smiled back.

"Ah and here we are, the lovely abode of Mister Argus Filch," Sirius continued cheerily, rapping on the door.

Filch opened the door quickly and glared down at them. "Off to the hospital wing, both of you. You're to help Madam Pomfrey clean out her supply cabinets." He then grinned wickedly and held out both of his hands. As Cortessa and Sirius were familiar with this particular gesture, they both winced when they placed their wands in his outstretched hands. Filch then slammed the door on them.

"I bloody hate cleaning out the hospital wing without my wand," Sirius groaned. The two turned and looked towards said area of the castle.

"Actually, I got to keep my wand once… that was so much worse." Tessa closed her eyes and shook her head at the memory. "At least it's not the bed pans again."

Sirius let out a resigned sigh and then straightened up, offering Tessa his arm. "Shall we then?"

Tessa shook her head at the display before her, but grinned and looped her arm through his. "Let's."

"This is bloody insane, mate." James whispered to Sirius as they crossed the threshold of the library. "I always knew Kettleburn was mad, but this…"

"…takes the cake," Sirius finished for him.

The second week of October was upon the castle and the majority of the Care of Magical Creatures class was sitting at tables in the library, hard at work beginning their midterm projects.

James elbowed Sirius in the ribs and pointed over towards two tables in the corner. Rebecca Longbottom was sitting across from Alfred Crabbe and it appeared as though she was using all of her restraint to keep from knocking herself out on the wooden table. Mary Ollivander was sitting next to her wearing a similar expression as she leaned forward to converse with her partner David Goyle. At the table next to them, Cynthia Kaite and Gallus Malfoy were glaring at one another.

"I think I got off easy on this one, Potter." James turned to see Sirius glancing over distastefully at the table containing a rather large third year by the name of Dolores Umbridge.

"I don't even want to know who you're working with if he considers Umbridge getting off easy, James."

The two boys turned to see Peter and Remus standing in the doorway, Remus grinning at them.

"Bugger off, Lupin." James glared at his two friends. Both of them had probably come down to work on their Ancient Runes project they had paired up for.

Peter shrugged as Remus chuckled at James. "Well, who is your partner?"

"I am." The oily voice came up from behind them. "Shall we commence this torture now, Potter? I'd rather like to finish quickly, before I lose my lunch."

"My sentiments exactly," James retorted. Severus Snape started off towards a nearby empty table as James gave one last look to the Marauders over his shoulder and then followed Snape to the table.

Sirius let out a loud theatrical sigh, glanced at the remaining two Marauders and walked across the room to sit down next to Dolores.

"You're late."

"You said meet in the library at one. I was in the library at one," he countered, offering her a big grin.

She scowled at him. "Don't try that on me, Black." She grabbed for her textbook. "I was thinking we could do a study of jarveys. It might help you get back on Professor Kettleburn's good side after that stupid incident in September."

"I'm not looking to get on anyone's good side." Sirius pulled out his own textbook, a piece of parchment and a quill. "But if you want to study jarveys, that's fine." He glanced up, surprised to see her gaping at him. _Which makes her look even more like a toad falling off a broom_, he thought. "What?"

She shook her head. "I just don't understand how you don't want to be on a teacher's good side."

He shrugged. "They seem to like me enough as it is. And I don't get on their good sides by sucking up." He glanced down to his textbook. "There's really not too much in here about jarveys. We should go collect some books."

She nodded. "Alright, I'll go get-"

She was cut off by an angry yell from near the front of the library and a mad cackle that Sirius recognized as James. He quickly rose from the table and rushed over towards his friend.

As he came upon the table where Snape and James had sat down, he stopped, puzzled for a moment. James was laughing maniacally, as were several other members of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw that were situated near them. Snape, however, appeared to be doing something straight from the dance section of his Muggle Studies textbook, the mashed potato and the twist all rolled into one.

Momentarily taken aback, Sirius stopped short and stared at the scene. He was quickly jostled as a large solid thing ran into him. Turning, he saw Peter and Remus trying to regain their balance right behind him.

"What the-" Peter began.

"No idea," Sirius replied, grinning. "But Snape certainly doesn't seem to be enjoying it."

"_What is going on over here!_"

The entire group jumped and began to disperse as Madam Pince shot across the library towards the noise. To make matters worse, Snape began to 'ribbit', thus causing James to begin laughing again, so hard actually, that he began to cry.

"Mr. Potter, kindly explain to me what this young man is doing," Madam Pince asked the messy haired boy through gritted teeth.

"R-r-r-ribbitting, Madam Pince," James wheezed.

"Ribbitting?" The librarian stood still for a moment, until she began to shriek. "All of you, get _out_ of my library. _OUT!_ This instant." She turned to Dolores Umbridge, who had been lurking in the corner, watching the events unfold. "You there, girl, help your classmate to the hospital wing."

Dolores quickly scuttled forward and put a hand on Snape's arm to lead him towards the doorway. He narrowed his eyes angrily and snatched it away quickly, still gyrating madly, he grabbed his satchel and made his way towards the library door, Dolores still trailing behind him.

The four Marauders quickly made their way out into the corridor as Madam Pince glared at them.

"What was that, James?" Sirius asked.

"Frog feet hex mixed with a croaking charm." James blew against his knuckles and then rubbed them on his robe. "Pretty good mix, if I don't say so myself."

"Frog feet hex?" Peter looked at his friend.

Remus sighed and answered for James. "It makes you feel like a thousand frog feet are jumping all over you. Rather unpleasant sounding from my readings of it."

"Nothing's too unpleasant for Snape," Sirius crowed. "What'd he do to you to make you do that?"

"Breath too loudly? Smell bad?" James offered. "Since when do I need a reason to torture Snape?"

"Bloody brilliant, mate." Sirius replied proudly.

"Mr. Potter," a familiar voice called from behind the boys. "My office, this instant."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall," James replied, tossing the three remaining Marauders a wink before turning to follow her.


	9. Number Fifteen

****

Number Fifteen

"You do this _every_ morning?"

"Just about."

"Are you _mad_?"

Peter turned to look at Remus. "I don't think so."

Remus shook his head and continued to walk next to Peter. "So exactly what are we looking for."

"Anything I haven't found yet. Which is a lot," Peter replied. He pointed to a vase over in the corner. "I've never seen that before."

"Is that really necessary? To note something like where a vase is?" Remus glared angrily at the piece of pottery.

"I don't know that it's necessary, but it can't hurt." Peter noted the annoyed look on Remus's face. "You did offer to come. It's not as though I hauled you out of bed without your permission… no one is stupid enough to do that."

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up similar to James's. "You're right. I think I'm just annoyed that I'm not as observant. I've never seen that vase before and I probably wouldn't have noticed it if you hadn't pointed it out. I didn't see that portrait or the suit of armor earlier, either."

Peter shrugged. "You get used to keeping an eye out for things."

Remus shoved his hands into his pockets and kept pace next to Peter. "What's that?" Remus pointed into the corner.

"What's what?" Peter peered forward intently.

Walking forward, Remus bent down and let out another sigh as he picked it up.

"Well?"

Remus held out his hands, sitting on them was a plump toad.

"Arthur."

"Who else?" Remus dumped the toad into his pocket and then looked down at the bulge. "You stay in there, alright? I've no idea why Frank puts up with you, but he's a wreck whenever you're gone."

The two continued to walk on in a companionable silence. Every once in a while, Peter would slow down to prod at a panel of wood or a stone, twice a stone came lose to reveal a small cubby hole. Each time, Remus looked on astounded.

After the third one, Remus stopped him. "How do you know that that's there?"

Peter shrugged. "Just a feeling."

Remus shook his head, again mystified by the strange aptitude Peter had a tendency to show for finding things.

"So…" Peter began, looking carefully to his friend. "I saw you and Melissa studying in the library on Thursday. Didn't you two owl one another all summer? What's going on?"

Remus narrowed his eyes at Peter. "We were studying for an Arithmancy test."

Peter raised an eyebrow at his friend.

Remus sighed. "That's all… I mean, yes we wrote back and forth all summer, but I don't think she thought of it like that… and we studied together sometimes last year, too… she just gets annoyed with Lily's insane study schedules sometimes. We're friends, that's all."

"And you just want to be friends with her?" Peter knocked on a wooden panel.

"It doesn't matter what I want." Remus leaned up against the wall. "She just wants us to be friends."

"You've asked her?"

"You _are_ mad," Remus spit out. "You don't just ask a girl if she likes you!"

Peter turned to study his friend. "Why not?"

"It… it's just not done like that." Remus looked almost as confused as Peter. "There's a method to it, you see…"

"A method?"

"Yes."

"Well, what's the method?"

Remus sighed and ran his hands through his hair again. "I've absolutely no idea."

Peter clicked his tongue. "Sirius just asks them."

"Sirius _is_ mad."

"Well… yes, I suppose that's true. Still…"

Remus held up his hand. "Actually, Sirius only asks _some_ of them. You could tell he really liked Madison because he didn't ask her."

Peter wrinkled his nose. "Remus, that makes no sense."

"You just don't ask… it's like… it's like Quidditch."

Peter shook his head. "Nevermind then, it took me forever to understand Quidditch."

Remus rolled his eyes, but nodded slightly. "I don't think we'll _ever_ understand girls."

"But Mel reads the books you suggest."

"Mel reads _anything_, why do people keep pointing out that she took _one_ book suggestion I made? I could hand her a Muggle telephone book and she'd probably take a crack at it."

"Well, that seems like something a girl who likes you would do…"

"Pete, drop it."

Peter rolled his eyes this time. "Sirius was right, you are moony."

Remus sighed, but didn't comment, and the two continued walking along the corridor.

"James? What're you doing here?" Frank asked. "Didn't you have practice this morning?"

Remus pulled back his curtains and peered out, the two boys took no notice of him. **_Why_** are they talking so early in the morning? This better be good…

James shook his head, a sad expression on his face. "Alan cancelled it."

"Why?"

__

Good question Frank, but not as in 'why is practice cancelled', more as in 'why **are you conversing at such a forsaken hour of the day'**?

James winced and opened his mouth to answer Frank's question. "Beamish had to take care of some prefect duties."

"At the crack of dawn?"

__

Well at least I know you know how to tell time, Frank. No pleading ignorance on that account, you're well aware of the hour.

"One of the first year's parents were killed by Voldemort last night."

__

Oh hell.

Remus winced as he watched Frank's jaw dropped. The brown haired boy quickly snapped it shut, with a sad but resolute look on his face. "I'd hoped that nutter had…" Frank quietly trailed off.

"Disappeared?" James finished softly. "I know. It's been so quiet lately."

_Disappeared? That nut won't disappear until someone kills him._ Remus thought angrily of his parents.

"What first year?" Franks voice broke through the void in the room.

"Yardley Ogden."

Remus watched Frank take in the information and shake his head again. He reached over to his nightstand, grabbed Arthur and began to stroke his back. The three boys sat quietly, one at his desk and the other two in their beds, until stirring noises could be heard in both Peter and Sirius's directions.

Remus raised a hand to his head and rubbed at his temples, annoyed that he felt a headache coming on._ Good thing Frank and James didn't notice me… everyone freezes up around me at the mention of Voldemort…_ He wondered as he flopped back onto his pillows._ Could this day get any worse?_ He felt his insides writhe around and groaned softy. _I suppose it can. Full moon tonight. _He sighed. _It was a nice ten seconds there, when I forgot about it._

Remus slowly sat back up and tossed his legs over the side of his bed, happy to note that it was rather quiet in the dormitory.

"Morning, Remus."

He turned his head to glance at Peter.

"The others are waiting in the common room. I'll see you down there." The blond boy scurried out of the door, pausing only long enough to grab his satchel of books.

_Why do they all feel the need to talk in the morning?_ Remus shook his head. He'd been awake for more than a half an hour already, but his mind still wasn't fully functioning. He winced as another spasm racked his stomach and then shook his head. _No wonder more than eighty five percent of us never make it to twenty. There is **no way** what girls deal with is worse._

After taming his bed head, Remus slipped into a clean uniform and carefully knotted his tie. He walked out of the bathroom and sat down on his bed to slip his feet into his shoes. As he bent to tie them, his head began to throb mercilessly, causing him to actually cry out in pain and quickly lay down.

_What's so great about being part of that fifteen percent anyway? _He rubbed his fingers angrily into his temples. _This isn't fair at all. Not at all. I didn't ask for this. Hell, I didn't even ask to **live** when the bloody wolf bit me. It would've been so much easier if I hadn't. _The throbbing subsided to a manageable level and Remus sighed. He remained on his back and bent his legs to tie his shoelaces without bending over.

Slowly, he sat up and remained still for a moment while the room stopped spinning. _Lovely, fantastic. **This** is why the fifteen percent make it- they **enjoy** the bloody merry-go-round feeling. They **like** the feeling of being punched repeatedly in the gut and they **bloody well love** the brass band playing nonstop marches in their eardrums. _He sighed again as he rose and gathered up his school supplies off his desk.

_Alright then, enough of that Remus Lupin. Suck it up and move it… those numbers aren't worth a second thought. You don't have any option, you're going to be part of the fifteen percent whether you like it or not. _Remus gasped and grabbed onto the doorway as a particularly bad cramp seized his stomach. _Not, definitely not._ He doubled over, only to hear a small voice behind him.

"Are you alright?"

Remus shot upright. "I'm fine, thanks." He offered the smaller boy a smile. _A first year,_ he thought. _Act as though you're fine and you'll be fine. Act as though you're fine and you'll be fine._

The boy smiled back at him and bounded down the steps. Remus slumped against the doorframe and exhaled loudly. He made it about halfway down the steps when he grabbed onto the railing to keep himself from pitching forward.

_You've been doing this for years! You **know** how to counteract a dizzy spell. Close your eyes. Sit down if you have to. Breathe, don't forget to breathe. That's it, just hold onto the railing and keep your eyes closed. _He stood still for a long moment taking several deep breaths. _How am I going to make it through classes today? It's really bad this month, _he thought sadly. _I'm going to fall behind again. I don't care how smart the others think I am, this bloody lycanthropy nuisance really messes up my grades._ He felt the dizziness pass and continued down the stairs.

As he entered the common room, he spotted Peter examining a potted plant while Sirius hovered behind him looking anxious.

"I think you've killed it, Sirius," Peter said, prodding the purple plant.

Sirius moaned. "I _can't_ fail this, too. I failed the last bloody test, I can't fail this practical. It only needed to live for a week."

Peter sighed. "Well, hold on, there's a potion specifically for these ferns, the text mentions it. It's difficult to brew though, we'd need to er… borrow… some supplies from Nackle..."

"But I can do potions," Sirius cheered visibly. "You just point out the potion and I'll make it." Sirius peered intently at the plant over Peter's shoulder. "Are you sure it can save that thing?"

Peter glanced from Sirius to the plant and then back to Sirius and shrugged. "It's worth a shot. Certainly can't hurt, can it? And I'll get the supplies. If you get another detention this week, McGonagall will ship you back to your parents in pieces."

Sirius clapped Peter on the back. "Thanks mate."

Peter just shrugged again and handed the sad looking plant back to Sirius.

Remus watched the exchange with a thoughtful look playing on his face, his pains momentarily forgotten. _And that git thinks he's **useless**, bloody loon. I'd completely forgotten about that potion. Alright, time to begin the monthly fifteen. _Remus rolled his eyes at the old tradition his mother had instilled in him so long ago. When he was younger he hadn't understood the significance his mother had attached to the number fifteen, but now that he was older…

_One: Peter. He's a good friend who is bloody brilliant at Herbology, even if he refuses to admit it, and he'll even break the rules to help his friends. Right then, _Remus smiled slightly.

"Morning Remus." James called out from the sofa and then turned towards Peter and Sirius. "You lot ready to head down to the Great Hall then?"

Sirius jumped up began conversing a mile a minute with James as Remus fell in step behind the two vivacious boys. A moment later he looked to his right and watched Peter fall into stride next to him. Peter ducked quickly as Sirius's gestures grew in size before abating and Remus winced at the noise his friend was making.

"I'll meet you all down there," Remus muttered to the group. Sirius didn't even acknowledge him, still raving about his latest mad scheme. James quirked an eyebrow until a sudden look of comprehension dawned on his face, which then quickly filled with sympathy. _I hate sympathy…_ Remus just quirked an eyebrow back at him. Peter gave him a concerned glance, as though asking if he wanted company. Remus quickly shook his head and turned in the opposite directions towards the hospital wing.

_Ah, silence. Blessed, lovely silence._ Remus smiled slightly despite his discomfort. _With best friends like them every quiet second is worth a million Galleons._ He shuffled quietly through the door into the infirmary.

"Madam Pomfrey?" _I hate this part._

The tell tale sign of her clicking heels immediately was heard across the floor. A moment later the older woman was visible, and upon recognizing Remus, her face also fell into a sympathetic look. Remus could feel the wolf beginning to stir in him, instead of getting sad over the look on her face, he felt angry. He grimaced as he tried to shove the feeling out of his mind.

"I was hoping I could have a headache potion, Madam." Remus looked at her. He remembered when they had first met the first day of his first year. _She was taller than me back then. _He looked to her as she bustled about preparing the potion. _We're the same height now… by the time I graduate, I'll be a lot taller than her._

He sat down as she led him to a bed and tried to ignore the pounding in his temples. _She's a good nurse though, there's really not much anyone can do for me, but she always finds something. She even lets the Marauders visit me now while I recover if it's a particularly bad month… _He winced. _Like tonight's probably going to be…_

He sat back and drank the foul potion. He made a face and Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue and told him to take it like a wizard. He offered her a small smile and she in turn returned a rare one that she seemed to save for him.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'm going to head down to the Great Hall now." Remus slowly stood up from the bed, holding on as the room swayed slightly out of a focus for a moment.

"If it gets bad, young man, you're to come straight here," she chided as he headed for the door.

"Yes, ma'am," Remus called out as he crossed the threshold into the corridor. _Two: Madam Pomfrey._

He walked slowly to the Great Hall, but felt slightly better after taking the pain potion. He entered and slipped in quietly next to James who was sitting across from Peter. Sirius was at the other end of the table talking with Madison Bell. The two boys paused in their conversation to give him a quick once over before returning to their discussion of the Goblin Revolts of 1695.

"But Oger."

"Lokker, not Oger. Who's Oger?"

"Umm… isn't that the goblin who ransacked the Ministry?"

"No, that was Botswanna, not Oger. Lokker was the one who invented the MuckAlls."

"MuckAlls? What's a MuckAlls?"

"No one knows."

"Then _why_ is it going to be on the exam?" Peter sunk his head down to the table.

James bit into a piece of bacon and shrugged.

Remus felt his stomach turn in revulsion at the smell of all the food. He was happy when the owls swooped into the Great Hall, distracting him. An owl landed before him and he was pleased to see a letter with his grandmother's neat scrawl attached to the owl. He untied it, offered the owl a piece of bread and opened it.

_Three and four: Gram and Gramps._

He read through it, happy to hear that all was as well as could be expected with his grandfather and that they were actually thinking of getting a puppy.

_Five: The puppy._

_Although maybe the puppy shouldn't really count… I mean, I don't know much about it… _Remus grinned as his mother's voice floated through his memory. He could clearly recall sitting on his parents bed playing with a stuffed animal and asking his mum if it could count as number eight. He remembered her reply, "Does it make you happy, dear?" He'd told her it had and that was that. _Five: The puppy._

"Ready then, Remus?"

He looked over to Peter and nodded. James looked to him.

"You didn't eat anything."

Remus merely shrugged as he stood up and picked up his satchel. He wobbled slightly and felt James quickly yet discreetly grab his elbow to steady him. Their eyes met for a moment, James's eyebrows arching in a silent question.

"I'm fine," Remus said quietly and shook his arm loose. He added as an afterthought- "Thank you, though."

James just nodded and continued on. _Only James could manage to actually support me and still make it seem like nothing. He may be a headache and a half sometimes, but he is a good friend._ Remus grinned at his friend, who grinned back with a puzzled expression on his face. Remus just shook his head, ignoring the look._ Six: James._

The three walked out of the Great Hall and a moment later Sirius bounded up behind them and matched their stride. The four boys continued on their way to class.

"Remus is quiet today," Sirius observed. The boys were sitting in the common room. A few moments earlier Remus has excused himself and went up to the dormitory.

"Full moon, you git. Did you forget?" Peter muttered quietly, groaning as James' pawn brutally attacked his castle.

"Oh, right. I had for a moment," Sirius replied.

"That must be nice."

Sirius winced visibly at the gravelly voice behind him. "I thought you were having a lie in," he said feebly.

"The room wouldn't stop spinning. I'm going to head down to Madam Pomfrey now."

Sirius winced again as he turned and saw Remus. Looking paler than he had all day, the thin boy was clutching tightly to the top of the chair but even that wasn't stopping him from swaying dangerously.

"I'll come with you." Sirius quickly jumped up from his chair.

Remus narrowed his eyes. "No, don't bother. Just try to _forget_ about it while I'm gone will you."

Sirius narrowed his eyes right back. "You _know_ I didn't mean it like _that_. Listen-"

Remus cut him off. "I'm not up for this right now. I'll see you lot tomorrow." He began to teeter unsteadily towards the door. 

"You've got to be kidding me, Moony." Sirius started after him.

"Don't. Touch. Me." He let out a harsh laugh and finished in a very quiet whisper. "I'm not exactly stable right now… no telling what the monster in me will do." He climbed clumsily out of the portrait hole, leaving Sirius behind. As the portrait slammed shut, Sirius smashed his hand against it. Several others studying in the common room glanced up for a moment before returning to their work.

He turned to the remaining Marauders, a look of sheer helplessness crossing his features for a moment, a look only Peter, James and Remus would ever see, and then quickly vanished. "I didn't mean it like that."

James raised an eyebrow.

"We know." Peter said quietly. "He knows too. I think Belua got to him today in Defense Against the Dark Arts, with all that 'werewolves are monster _all_ the time, you never know what they're capable of' nonsense."

"People like him, the paranoid ignorant types, are the reason all those stupid werewolf registration and restriction laws exist." Sirius spat out as he crossed the room to sit back down. "When I grow up I'm going to spend every second working towards getting those mad rules thrown out."

"Me too," James quickly agreed, reaching out to put a hand on top of Sirius', who offered him a small grin.

"Me three," Peter added, laying his hand on top of the bunch.

The three boys nodded at one another and then sat back in the chairs.

"You know, we've only got that last primer spell to go. It's been a while since we worked on it. What if we just skived off Herbology," James commented quietly to the other two.

"Skiving off Herbology always sounds like a plan to me," Sirius agreed.

"Well, it's not as though your plant is in any shape to pass Sprout's tests," Peter chuckled. "Although Remus would want us to go and get the notes for him."

James grinned as he quickly solved the problem. "We'll copy Becca's or Alice's."

"Bloody brilliant, my friend," Sirius grinned as he jumped up from the couch and bounded up the steps. "Last one to the dorm is a moldy toad."

James was off like a shot.

Peter groaned and slowly followed the other two up the steps.

Remus limped slowly out to the Whomping Willow, Madam Pomfrey keeping pace next to him. A few feet from the tree, a thought dawned on Remus.

_For the first time I can remember, I didn't reach fifteen. _He winced as a harsh thought made its way through his head. _Maybe I won't make it to next month either. Then I won't have to worry about the monthly fifteen. _He recounted the last one. _Fourteen was Trixie. _She'd stopped him on his way to the Hospital Wing to ask if he wanted the Herbology notes he was going to miss.He shook his head, at a loss for a fifteenth reason to keep going, to keep enduring this monthly torture.

He slowed to a stop as they reached the Whomping Willow and Madam Pomfrey prodded the knot with a nearby stick.

"Thanks, Madam." Remus climbed in through the opening.

The look of sympathy was clear on her face once again, making him grimace. "I'll be down to retrieve you in the morning, Mr. Lupin."

"Yes ma'am." The tree began to come back to life and Remus could hear her retreating footsteps. A particularly bad pain caused a spasm in his back and he fell to the ground moaning.

"Alright," he gasped to himself. "We can handle this, we've done it before. We'll just sit here for a while till it passes."

"We? Great, I'm _talking_ aloud to myself now. And apparently I've still got multiple personalities."

He waited for the other Marauders to laugh at his self depreciating remark until he realized that he was alone. Very alone.

As he lay on the ground waiting for the pain to subside he was surprised to hear voices from outside near the willow.

"What brings you to the Whomping Willow?"

Remus couldn't quite place whose voice that was. It was familiar… but it certainly didn't belong to any Gryffindors he could think of.

"Oh, so now she's too high and mighty to even grant me a response?"

The voice had an unnatural cruelness to it.

"Go away Black, I'm heading to the lake."

Remus's eyes widened. Bellatrix Black. And Melissa Watts.

"We've got a score to settle from First Year, Watts. Seeing as how there's no one around, now seems like the time to take care of it."

"I don't have anything to settle with you."

Remus froze. This didn't sound good, this definitely didn't sound good at all. He'd heard rumors of what Bellatrix was capable of, and even if he was sure no thirteen year old could be _that_ evil, he still didn't want to risk finding out otherwise at Melissa's cost.

_But if you climb out to help her, you'll have to explain what in Merlin's name you were doing under the tree. _He groaned softly at another wave of pain. _Not to mention the fact that you wouldn't even be a help in the state you're in._

"I'd take out your wand if I were you, Watts."

"I don't think this is a wise idea, Black."

Bellatrix mumbled something and Remus gasped as he heard Melissa cry out in pain.

"You really are a hag, you know that, Bella?" Melissa cried out. "We're not going through this again."

Remus pulled himself upright. Even if he couldn't help her, the distraction of someone crawling out of a tree would probably help her get away. He slowly shuffled towards the area the opening would form in.

"_What is going on here?_"

Remus collapsed again the roots in relief. _I've never been so happy to hear Professor Sprout's voice in my life._

As Professor Sprout started to yell at the two girls, Remus turned and started to shuffle off towards the Shrieking Shack, pausing only to laugh as Melissa called Black a "dreadful, revolting, unattractive, repulsive hag with the brains of a pickled toad". _Fifteen: Mel._

Author's Note: Sorry for the crazy long delay between chapters, guys. I know it's been like seven months since I last updated, so hopefully these three chapters can be sort of like my peace offering. I finished my summer classes yesterday, so hopefully I'll have a little more time on my hands and I've started writing again. These three chapters were stuff I already had written but hadn't had time to post before, but I think I might manage to finish up the year this summer. I'm going to use a lot of the prank ideas you guys were able to give me and if you've got any more, they would be soooo appreciated or if there are any areas that you think I should explore more. I know someone, can't remember who, thought I should delve more into Sirius's family life and that I should explore Snape some more, so I'm going to try to do that. Also, upon going over the chapters I just posted I noticed that I really beat up the Marauder's this year- they seem to spend a lot of time in the hospital, so I think they need to have some fun. So… that being said, I think you can expect more updates relatively soon. Thanks for still reading, you guys are great! :0)


	10. Hogsmeade

Hogsmeade

"He is kidding, isn't he, Potter?" Rebecca Longbottom peered hopefully into the face of the boy.

"He better be." James scowled at the two notices side by side on the announcement board, one announcing the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year and the other stating that a Quidditch practice would be held at the same time on the same day.

"What have I been telling you?" Emmaline Vance came up behind them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Alan Beamish is nuts. Hopefully the insanity will win us the Cup…"

"… otherwise we'll have to kill him in June," Marlene finished for her.

"But it's our first Hogsmeade weekend," Rebecca moaned.

"Really now, Longbottom, where are your priorities?"

The foursome whirled around to see Beamish standing behind them. Rebecca put her hands on her hips and glared at the Keeper. Beamish's face faltered for a moment.

"Oh I'll show you exactly where my priorities are, Alan Beamish!" She stormed over to him, grabbed him by the wrist and angrily dragged him off towards the portrait hole.

"Don't suppose they're off for a snog," Nathan mused, observing the whole scene.

"No, not at the moment, I don't suppose," Emmaline responded with a grin.

"Well good, if anyone can knock some sense into that madman, it'll be her." Marlene visibly crossed her fingers. Then she shrugged and added, "And if not I know several good bondage charms and a closet we can store him in."

"Did I hear something about bondage charms?"

Marlene turned to Sirius with a wicked grin. "You're a bit too young to be worrying about any of that, then. Come on, Em, we've got that bloody paper to write." She turned to James. "Do let us know if she talks the git out of it, I'd much rather stock up on sugar quills than bruises from a Bludger on Saturday." The two girls wandered off towards a table in the corner and Nathan disappeared into a group of fourth years.

Remus and Peter approached the other two boys. Remus looked to his friend. "What was that about?"

"Practice," James replied glumly.

Quirking an eyebrow, Remus leaned over to read the paper on the board, his face quickly fell. "During our first Hogsmeade weekend?"

"Oi, James." Peter looked from his watch to the bespectacled boy. "Aren't you supposed to meet with Snape now to finish up that report?"

"The day just gets better and better." James groaned and headed towards the boys' dormitory to retrieve his satchel.

"Might I request that we refrain from hexing one another into oblivion until this paper is one? I do understand you've got a reputation as an obnoxious and stupid git to retain, but my priorities are my grades and I certainly don't intend to allow you to lower their usual standard." Severus Snape quickly slid into his seat and opened a book. "As I see it, as long as the professors see us working together and behaving"- he shot a glare at James- "we should be able to finish this without having to speak to one another more than necessary. I've compiled a list here- you take half of the research and I'll take the other half. We each write up our parts and then just put the two pieces of parchment together."

"And the oral part?"

"I'll speak on what I know, and you on your subjects."

James sat back. He'd never heard Snape speak so much in one sitting. He was highly tempted to make a joke regarding his usual terse tendencies. Snape had tensed, as though prepared for said witticism. Instead, James just leaned forward, grabbed the list and said, "Let's get this over with."

"Peter Pettigrew?"

He turned his head to the left and noticed the girl perched on the wall leading out to the courtyard. He smiled at her and then noticed the colors on her uniform. The smile died on his lips.

"Can I help you?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Not all Slytherins are horrors, you mad boy."

Peter quirked an eyebrow that clearly read as, _Is that so?_ A look he'd learned from Remus and had become rather good at.

"Yes?" She giggled.

_A bit flighty, this one_, he thought, but his Gryffindor sense of chivalry overcame him. He sighed, but asked once again, in a tone much less harsh, "Can I help you?"

"As a matter of fact-" She jumped off the small ledge, but landed wrong, twisting her ankle and falling to the ground. Peter quickly rushed to her side and helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright?"

She recoiled from him immediately, smoothing down her skirt with one hand and her hair with the other. A red blush had overtaken her, but was quickly subsiding. "I'm fine. Just fine," she snapped.

He stepped back from her. "Well, what was it you needed?"

She spent another ten seconds or so collecting herself. "Help. In Herbology."

Peter looked at her strangely. "Surely there are people who can help you with that who are smarter than me."

She shrugged. "Perhaps, but I knew that you would keep quiet about it. That you knew what you were doing."

_She picked **me** over James. Or Sirius. Or Remus. _Peter stared back at the girl blankly for a moment and then shook his head to clear it. "Sure, I can help you, Zark."

"Thanks." She beamed at him. "Tomorrow afternoon, then? After classes?"

"Sounds like a plan," Peter agreed.

"Oh, and Peter, if you'd like, you can call me Isabella when it's just the two of us." She started to walk off down the corridor, with a slight limp. "I'll see you tomorrow," she called over her shoulder.

"Tomorrow," he muttered to himself.

"No, no, no. There are rules. You can't just go up to her and say something like that," James mused.

"All's fair in love and war, my friend," Sirius objected. "Go for it."

"It'll never last, she'll see what beasts boys are and that'll be that," Remus mused. "I don't think this is wise."

"You never think anything of this nature is wise, Remus," Frank put in.

"Are you sure about this?" Peter asked. "Suppose it does last I mean… then it would be… lasting."

"Brilliant observation, Pettigrew," James chided.

"Stuff it, Potter."

"I'm going." The brown haired boy rose. "I'm going to ask her to come to Hogsmeade with me." He strode purposefully towards the door, tripped over his own two feet, regained his balance, crossed the threshold, and then turned down the stairs.

"Poor fellow."

"Poor Alice, is more like it," Remus said, laughing.

The Gryffindor third years all woke up bright and early on Halloween morning and rushed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The majority of older students were still asleep, but Sirius noticed that third years from the other three Houses were all down in the Great Hall by the time they'd finished eating.

"Our first time to Hogsmeade! Oh Merlin, I can't wait to go into Honeydukes." Tessa was practically foaming at the mouth.

Sirius nudged her. "And Shimpling's! I heard they've just begun to stock Brews-U-Like products. Wouldn't that surprise Professor McGonagall?" He winked at James who grinned back at him in return.

"I want to stop in at Dervish and Banges. I need some powdered wartcap for Potions. _Someone_ used all mine yesterday making-" Peter was cut off as Sirius stamped on his foot and Remus clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Making _what_, exactly?" Lily glared at Peter.

"Nothing, not a thing at all, Evans," James interjected.

"Lily, did you know that the town was founded by Hengist of Woodcroft at the same time as Hogwarts was built?" Remus jumped in, attempting to distract her.

"Oh." Alice turned to Frank as she thought of something. "We have to stop at Gladrags to get my sister socks. I wanted to get her a pair for Christmas."

"It's October, Alice," Frank replied.

"Better to be prepared then rushed at the last minute," Alice said, jumping up from the table and grabbing Frank's hand, only to turn bright red and drop it a second later when everyone turned to look at them. "Let's get going."

The two young Gryffindors departed from the Great Hall in the midst of catcalls and jeering from the Marauders.

Tessa kicked at Sirius. "Would you behave? They've been sweet on each other since first year, let them be."

"You see, my dear, a relationship isn't really worth it unless it's worth all the teasing it brings too," James waxed philosophically.

"And what would you know about relationships, Potter?" Lily Evans smirked.

"My fair share." He glared at her indignantly.

"Oi, it's too early for this you two," Rebecca broke in. "Come on Lily. I thought you needed new quills? Let's head out then." The two girls rose and left the Hall waving to the group on their way out.

"I needed some Potions ingredients, too…" Remus trailed off in thought.

"Simpling's here we come!" Sirius whooped and jumped out of his seat, quickly followed by James and Peter.

"Hold on, you guys. I have to go check which ones I need," Remus called, but the three other boys were half way out of the hall.

"You know, Shimpling's sounds like a blast," Tessa said suddenly, shifting her gaze from the shrinking form of Sirius Black back to the table. Before the other two Gryffindors could blink, the slim, dark haired girl was gone.

Melissa looked at the empty seats around her and then to Remus. "They certainly cleared out in a hurry."

"Yes," Remus agreed slowly. "They certainly did." _I smell a set up here… no wonder they ignored me. _He glanced at the girl sitting across from him.

"Want me to wait for you to check your Potions supplies?" she offered.

"Not if you're waiting to get into Hogsmeade, I can just meet up with you lot there." _Why did you say that? The correct answer was 'yes, I want you to wait for me'. Dolt._

She shrugged. "No big deal really. I'd just have to walk down by myself now anyway."

"Well if you really don't mind…" Remus rose from the table, she followed suit.

"Not at all, Mr. Lupin." She giggled as they began to walk.

_Girls are so weird._ Remus thought, but was unable to suppress the small grin that found its way to his lips.

"Did you hear that?" Melissa asked.

Remus blushed. "That was my-"

"Where are we?" she cut him off. "Oh sorry, yes, what was- _is_- that?"

"My stomach."

She chuckled. "Understandable. I'm starving too." She let out a sigh and sat down on a large rock. "I can't believe we got lost."

"My fault really," Remus began, sitting down next to her he began kicking a foot again the rock. "I shouldn't have suggested we explore."

"No, really, I shouldn't've said 'Oh look, a frog. Let's chase it…"- her voice trailed off as she finished- "over that big hill… and into that dark and scary cave…" She shook her head. "Stupid idea really."

"I should've said, 'stupid idea really' and saved us the trouble," Remus said reasonably.

She whirled and looked at him. "So you agree it was my stupid idea then."

"No," Remus squeaked immediately. "That wasn't what I meant."

She grinned. Remus's stomach rumbled again.

"Oi, I'd eat anywhere now…" the lanky boy moaned. "I'd even eat the frog if we could've caught it."

Melissa stuck her tongue out and made a disgusted face. Remus stuck his tongue back out at her and she giggled at him. Suddenly the situation didn't seem very funny anymore as he realized that he had just spent an entire morning wandering around the surrounding countryside with a girl he was growing more convinced he was falling in love with every day. She'd seemed to enjoy it all too. And now they were sitting on a rock. Next to each other. Mere inches apart. Alone. Remus swallowed hard.

Melissa was oblivious.

Remus turned to look at her and suddenly he heard something.

"Can you hear that?" he asked.

"No… do you hear people? We've really got to be very near the town. And I'm sure the others are looking for us," she said hopefully.

"Maybe," Remus conceded, cocking his head towards the sounds. "No, I definitely hear music." He grabbed her hand and pulled her off the rock. "Come on."

The two started towards the sound. After a minute or two Melissa grinned.

"It's a harp or something, I hear it too!" She smiled at him.

Remus smiled back at her, his heart skipping a beat. _If only I could find a way to get lost in Hogsmeade with her every day… I'd be a very, very happy boy._

"Food!" she exclaimed, pointing to display window of the establishment that had appeared before them. Various tea cakes and pastries lined the windows in an ornate display.

The mere thought of food had the two of them nearly foaming at the mouth. Without even glancing up to view the name of the establishment the two Gryffindors shoved through the doors and into the store.

The moment the door closed behind them though, thoughts of food were forgotten as the atmosphere took over.

"Sweet Merlin," Remus said in a quiet breathless horror.

Melissa looked Remus right in the eye and said, "I think we've stumbled into hell."

At that moment the owner herself swooped down on the couple and nearly shoved them into two empty seats at a nearby table.

"Well… er…" Remus stuttered, growing redder as he recognized a sixth year Ravenclaw prefect snogging his girlfriend.

"I think I'd prefer the frog," Melissa commented as her widened eyes took in the atmosphere.

"What can I get you dears?" a waitress turned up at their table.

"What have you got to eat?" Melissa managed as Remus was still clearly incapacitated.

The waitress listed a variety of sweets and teas and Melissa ordered for herself, then noticed Remus was still staring blankly at the waitress, informed the older woman to just make it another order of the same.

After she left, Melissa turned her attention to the stunned and terrified young boy in front of her. "Remus Lupin," she waved a hand in front of him. "Earth to Remus Lupin."

He turned his dazed gaze upon her and managed to stutter out, "Wh-where are we?"

She looked around and saw a couple reading through a menu, off of which she managed to read, "Madam Puddifoot's, I believe." She gestured towards the menus. "At least, that's what they say."

"Look at everyone in here," Remus muttered, turning red again as his gaze fell on a particularly aggressive couple in the corner.

"Er… I'd rather not, really Remus. Let's just eat and get out of here."

The waitress had just returned and placed their orders before them.

Suddenly the table was covered in a shower of pink confetti that rained all over their food and into their tea.

"Oi… none of that now," Melissa complained and looked up to see a golden cherub happily tossing the confetti onto their table. Another rain of it fell upon them and Melissa glared up angrily. "I said, stop."

Remus quirked an eyebrow at Melissa in amusement and began to try and scrape the confetti off his pastry puff. More fell as he finally began to make some progress. He heard her make a quiet growling sound and looked up just in time to see her chuck a handful up at the cherub.

The cherub paused midair with a thoroughly amusing look of shock on its face.

"How do you like it?" Melissa asked indignantly.

Remus snorted, but fell immediately quiet as the owner stormed over to the two of them.

"What are you doing, young lady?" the large woman hissed as she leaned over and grabbed Melissa by the wrist. "Throwing confetti? At _my_ cherubs? Out, this instant. Get _out._"

Melissa opened her mouth to say something, but instead snapped it shut and stormed out of the cramped tea shop.

The owner then gave Remus a nasty look and stalked away. He looked out the window to see Melissa pacing back and forth, her mouth moving, clearly talking to herself, and illustrating her point to herself with grand, sweeping hand gestures. He stifled a laugh, tossed several Sickles on the table and rushed out of the sickeningly perfumed shop into the fresh air to commiserate with her.

__

James carefully placed the Frog Spawn Soap back in the display case and glanced down the isle towards Sirius and Peter. The two heads were bent together in a dusty corner. The sight made him smile and he started towards the two boys.

"What are you lot up to, then?" he asked quietly, joining the little huddle.

Sirius grinned wickedly and held up a small packet of Belch Powder. Then he gestured with one hand over his shoulder in the general direction of Cortessa Maris. Tessa, happily oblivious to the boys, was, at the moment, leaning against the doorframe and reading a magazine she'd bought in a previous store, waiting for them.

"I really don't think she'll appreciate that, Sirius," Peter said quietly, glancing at her as she patiently turned a page.

"Oh, get off it, Pete. She's got a good sense of humor." Sirius shook the packet enticingly.

James shot a look at her and then nodded, agreeing with Sirius.

The two taller boys took off towards cash register, leaving the shorter one behind them shaking his head.

"I've got it, mate, go distract her," Sirius said as he pulled out a small leather pouch full of Wizarding coins. James nodded and crossed the floor towards the door, trying to think of something to say.

He was spared when Tessa opened her mouth upon seeing him approach.

"What do you suppose Remus got up to? I was sure he'd find you lot when he got into Hogsmeade."

James chuckled. "I suspect he's with Mel."

"No, I'm sure Mel caught up with Lily and Becca. She needed some school supplies."

James cocked his head to the side and looked at her. "Are you sure she wouldn't want to go with Remus?"

Tessa shrugged nonchalantly. "No one ever really knows what she wants." The pretty girl grinned. "Mel's a hard one to figure out sometimes."

__

Well I'm not going to get any answers from her, James thought and looked at her again. Tessa's gaze had strayed over towards Sirius and for a moment she looked sort of sad, then she blinked and it was gone.

"Anyway," Tessa said quietly, attempting to change the subject she turned back the page of her magazine and held it out for James to see.

****

You-Know-Who recruiting Dark Creatures for His Dark Purpose

It has been reported that every vampire, troll, giant and werewolf has agreed to join the forces of You-Know-Who. Apparently He has begun to tag them with small bands around their wrists to control them. Their biological make up allows for this.

An expert on werewolves, Doctor Loona, claims that werewolves are joining this evil man because they can't help it. Lycanthropy "has negative effects on their brains, leaving most unable to make decisions for themselves". It has been reported. Doctor Loona, author of many famous books such as _The Misconceptions of Cheese, Your Mummy and You, _and _So Now You're a Vampire_ and winner of _Witch Weekly's _Author of the Year award two years running was the first witch in the medical field to come forward with the information that trolls will indeed shrink in fear at the sight of sunflowers. When questioned about the incident two months ago when a troll injured a wizard despite his attempt to use a sunflower to defend himself, she claims it was "purely incidental, the sunflower defense will work at least seventy percent of the time." She's currently working on her newest concept- werewolves secretly fear teddy bears. Her thesis is due out in March…

James shook his head and flipped to the cover page. He snorted as he read the name, _The Calumnior_.

"Who the hell is You-Know-Who?" James's eyes continued to read through the clearly false article.

Tessa's eyes widened. "That's how _The Calumnior_ refers to… well… you-know-who…."

"No, I don't, that's why I'm asking." James was beginning to get agitated.

"Well, You-Know-Who is… you-know-who…" she stammered.

"Tessa…" There was a slight warning tone to his voice.

"Voldemort," she hissed quietly.

James stood silently for a moment. _But this article is a joke! _His mind screamed. _Oh Merlin, if there are people that believe this rubbish… poor Remus._ He thrust the magazine back at her. "It's rubbish- you really shouldn't believe what it says."

James was surprised when she giggled. "Of course it's rubbish, that's why it's so amusing, James."

The tall boy with the messy hair just shook his head as the other two in his group joined the two near the door.

"I'm hungry," Peter whined.

"You're always hungry," Sirius said. Peter turned red, but no one noticed.

"Last one to The Three Broomsticks is a smelly horklump," James shouted and started off down the street. Behind him he could hear Tessa mutter in a quiet but amused voice.

"Boys."

"Oh look, it's Lily and Becca. Oh! And Mel and Remus," Tessa exclaimed, pointing towards a large table in the corner. She grabbed Sirius by the crook of the arm and dragged him over towards the group. The good looking young boy just shrugged his shoulders and grinned at the other two.

"Reckon we should save him?" James asked.

Peter chuckled and started walking towards the group. "Are you certain he wants to be saved?" Suddenly he was stopped short by an arm roughly grabbing his elbow and hauling him into a corner. He groaned. "What now?"

"Snape," James hissed into his ear and gestured towards a small table in another corner, occupied by a single greasy haired Slytherin.

Peter's eyebrows quirked up. "But he's not doing anything to us."

Rolling his eyes, James replied with just two words. "Fish feet."

James could see the memory flood back into Peter's features. "What's the plan?"

James clapped him on the back. "Good man. Go get Sirius and Remus."

Peter sighed and started across the room.

Several hours later the four Marauders returned to the castle. After an (_inexplicable, _as Sirius repeatedly insisted or _bizarre,_ as James would later quote) incident in the Three Broomsticks that left four of the five Gryffindor girls and one very angry Slytherin with wicked cases of indigestion, the four boys had slid off to enjoy the rest of their "first" Hogsmeade visit on their own.

James looked down at his watch and made a face. "Well, I suppose I'm off to Quidditch practice then." He stood up and grabbed his broomstick. "Hopefully Alan won't be a complete lunatic this evening."

The other boys returned to their conversation as James left the common room.

"So who do you wager will win next weekend then?" Sirius asked Peter.

"I'd imagine Slytherin is still looking for revenge regarding their Quidditch robes?" Remus peered over the top of the book he was reading and looked at Sirius, a twinkle in his eye.

"That could make the match interesting," Peter replied.

"Speaking of interesting-" Sirius glanced over towards the portrait of the Fat Lady where Melissa Watts and Cortessa Maris were climbing in through the hole. "How _was_ your trip to Hogsmeade, Moony? We missed you in the morning there."

To the surprise of the other two Marauders, Remus didn't blush bright red. He just shrugged. "We got lost in a cave outside of Hogsmeade and then Mel got us thrown out of Madam Puddifoot's."

Sirius's jaw dropped open and Peter just sat there blinking.

"I'm not sure exactly what this Madam Puddifoot's is, but exactly what were you doing together in a _cave_?" Sirius spat out, grinning broadly.

Remus just raised an eyebrow that implied far more than the truth and returned to reading his book.

A moment later Sirius burst out into raucus laughter, culminating in spitting out, "Moony, you old dog, you." Peter remained still, blinking rapidly. He quickly shook himself out of his stupor.

"Madam Puddifoot's is a little tea shop, I believe. It's very-" he searched for the word, "-pink."

Sirius snorted again and shook his head.

Suddenly, several voices, talking quickly, came tumbling into the common room. Sirius looked up and realized the Quidditch team, still in full practice regalia and clutching brooms were cloistered in the entry way to the room. James quickly made his way over to the other Marauders, pale as a ghost, but jaw set.

"What're you-" Peter began, but was cut off.

"Voldemort just attacked Hogsmeade." James looked into Sirius's eyes. "Tibbles and Shimpling's are gone." He took a deep breath. "Some of the older students… were still there."

__

Author's Note: Brews-U-Like is a product conceived by Suburban House Elf- an absolutely phenomenal HP fanfiction writer over at _._


	11. Bubbles

****

Bubbles

The following day was abnormally quiet around the castle. The aftershock of the attacks were seen everywhere. Every house has lost at least one student, the Hufflepuffs receiving the worst blow Richard Pudding and Gilbert Whimple, along with a female sixth year whose name Peter couldn't remember had been lost in the explosion at Shimling's. Ravenclaw had lost Draco Waffling. Even Slytherin had lost students. Their own loss in Gryffindor hadn't been particularly close to Peter, but even he had exchanged a few kind words with Catriona Marsh over the years and Margaret Bell had been near inconsolable the previous evening.

With a heavy heart, Peter left the other Marauders behind in the common room and ventured to the library to meet for his first tutoring session with Isabella Zark. He crossed the library quietly to their previously decided meeting spot and there she was. Peter was once again surprised by her greeting.

"I was so sorry to hear about Marsh. Did you know her?"

Peter shook his head. "Not really, a friend of mine is a friend with a friend of hers sort of acquaintance."

Zark nodded her head in understanding. "This is all a bloody mess."

Peter looked at her in surprise. _A Slytherin saying this 'is all a bloody mess'? I mean, I know they lost some Slytherins in that mess, but I still thought…_

"I told you we weren't all evil, Peter," she said quietly, as she opened her Herbology text.

"I…" Peter shrugged. "I'm sorry. You were right. Do you still want to work on this today?"

Isabella looked up at him. "Of course. This all is wretched, but life goes on. If it stops… they win, you know? Even if they don't really win in the end… that would be a major victory." She shrugged. "Or perhaps that's my famous Slytherin ambition speaking. Either way, I'd just like to get to work on this."

"Alright then," Peter opened his text. "Where did you start having problems?"

"Oof." Sirius fell to the floor with a thud. He quickly snatched at the letter that had fluttered from his hand and began to mutter an apology until he realized whom he had smashed into.

"Snivellus." Sirius nearly growled. _He's one of them_, his mind hissed irrationally.

The smaller boy narrowed his eyes and reached quickly for his wand. "Get out of my way, Black."

Sirius also pulled out his wand, without pausing he said, "_Confundus Maximus. Furnunculus. Petrificus Totalus._" He didn't even remain to watch the effects of his handiwork as he strode quickly down the corridor.

He rounded a corner and found himself in a somewhat familiar hall. It was deserted and he began to pace the length of it, talking to himself and gesturing violently with the hand that still held the crumpled letter in it.

"I knew this would happen…" He stomped angrily on the ground. "Death sentence, it was a bloody death sentence from the start." He collapsed against the wall, tossed the balled up paper in front of him and set it on fire with his wand, hoping that by destroying the words, he could destroy the truth.

Sirius suddenly became aware of the sound of approaching footsteps. He debated making a run for it, but suddenly felt as though he had no strength. Instead he tried to curl himself up into a little ball in the corner and hope that whoever passed by didn't glance in his direction.

Remus rounded the corner, stopped and stared at the pathetic sight in front of him.

"Sirius?" He cautiously approached his best friend. "What was in that letter?" He took a few more steps in the direction of the huddled mass. "You ran right out of the dormitory. Peter, James and I have been looking for you for more than an hour."

Sirius just looked at his friend with a glazed expression in his eyes.

Remus instantly recognized that expression, having worn it himself more than a year ago. He immediately crossed to his best friend and slung an arm around his shoulder. Quietly, he murmured just one word. "Who?"

Sirius looked at him, pleading with his eyes not to make him say it aloud.

Remus just repeated a little more firmly. "Who?"

"Ted."

Remus winced. He knew that Sirius was far closer to Ted and Andromeda Tonks than to his own parents.

"Andie said…" he trailed off. Taking a deep breath, in the most forlorn voice Remus had ever hear Sirius use, he rushed out in one long word, "AndiesaidDorakeepsaskingwheredaddyis." He shook his head. "How do you explain this to a kid?"

Remus winced again.

Sirius turned to his best friend and just stared at him for a moment. He took another deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"I don't know how to do this." His eyes pleaded with Remus for an answer. "I just don't know how to do this."

The look crossing Remus's face was one of the saddest Sirius had ever seen. Remus shook his head slightly. "There is no way to do this." Remus swallowed hard. "Just keep breathing. It's all you can do. Just keep breathing."

The first weeks of November passed in a blur for the Marauders. Sirius seemed to take Remus's advice to heart. He did as he had always done, but all three of the Marauders noticed that at times, he would seem to disappear into himself, just as Remus did.

One particular evening after both Remus and Sirius retired to bed, Peter and James remained in the common room, studying for an upcoming History of Magic test.

James closed his book and leaned deep into the chair.

"Do you ever wonder when it'll happen to you?"

"Eh?" Peter looked up from his text. "When what'll happen?" 

"When a letter'll come for you…"

Peter continued to appear confused for a moment until all of a sudden James's meaning hit home with astonishing clarity.

"Yes."

James nodded in agreement.

Peter stared into the fire for a moment. "At least I don't really have to worry about my family yet… They don't seem to be attacking random Muggles. But I worry that I'll read the _Daily Prophet_ one day and I'll see names I know."

James nodded again, still silent.

"I worry about my dad," he said suddenly. "I worry because he does." He looked at Peter. "This guy is bad news, Peter. He makes my dad worry. No one makes my dad worry." He grinned. "Well, except maybe my mum when she's in a fury…"

Peter grinned.

"I mentioned it to my dad in my last letter. That I… you know… worry about him. He told me not to. He said to leave the grown up problems to the grown ups and to just be a kid." James snickered. "He said he was worried about me. He hadn't gotten a letter from McGonagall or Dumbledore in more than three weeks."

"I could see how that would concern your family," Peter mused.

"That being said, since I've essentially been _told_ to go get in trouble-" James began.

"Oi," Peter groaned, but leaned forward to listen to his latest scheme.

Remus and James crowded over the four cauldrons bubbling in the center of their room.

"Does anyone know where Frank is? This would be a bit difficult to explain," Remus asked as he stirred two of the cauldrons.

"Oh, here, I think this could be useful." Peter looked up from the book he was reading and pulled out his wand. "Watch your hands Remus, James." He flicked his wand four times and mumbled, "_Stirripitus_." Nothing happened. "Hold on, hold on." He skimmed the page again. "Oh. Alright." He flicked his wand four times and swished as he said clearly, "_Stirripitus_." The four cauldrons began to stir themselves. He grinned widely.

"Nice one, Pete," Remus said.

"Frank was in the courtyard with Rob Cage earlier," Sirius offered. "I imagine he'll be some time."

"How long does it need to simmer?" Sirius asked, peering at the bubbling contents.

"Until a bubble floats out. Of each cauldron, that is," James replied. "How're we going to transport it?"

Remus scrambled under his bed and pulled out four large containers. "With these."

"It won't eat through them?" James asked, flicking his finger against the glass.

Remus shrugged. "I hope not."

Sirius turned to Peter. "How many bathrooms are there?"

Peter pulled out several of the sketches he was using to create their map. He pointed out eight different areas. "You'll take the two here. If the time release charm is effective, you should be fine to get to them both and to the library before anything happens, but you'll need to move quick. Remus, you'll take this one here by the library and the one near the Great Hall. You're likely to get caught, but you've had the least number of detentions this year and those two areas need to be covered to get the reaction we want." Remus nodded and Peter continued. "James, you'll need to take the one in the dungeons and the one by the kitchens, near the Hufflepuff common room and the Charms corridor. It's a big distance, but I think you can make it before the potion begins to ferment." Peter paused and looked at the containers Remus had procured. "I'm not so sure that it won't eat through them if we don't get the potions out of them in time. The book mentioned something along those lines." He shrugged. "So just make sure you get it into the bathroom in time." He shifted papers. "And I'll cover the bathrooms near the Defense Against the Dark Arts wing and the Transfiguration corridor. That should cover it."

Sirius clapped Peter on the back. "Impressive planning, Peter."

Peter grinned widely.

"I do believe, gentlemen, that was is a bubble." James pointed to the cauldron. Floating above one was a large, orange bubble. A moment later, two more bubbles, pink and blue, wafted out of the other two cauldrons. Immediately after that, the final cauldron emitted a green bubble.

"Right then." Remus handed out the containers. "Dump it in and seal them. _Don't touch the potion though._"

"We're sure this won't hurt anyone?" Peter asked, dumping the orange potion into the container.

"No one but us," James replied. "And that's only if you touch it. Once it enters the water, it'll be diluted enough."

"Meet you in the library in twenty minutes," Sirius called, already heading out the door with his container of pink potion.

The other three boys quickly followed him out and dispersed to different areas of the castle.

Exactly twenty two minutes later, the Marauders, quietly studying at a table near the entrance to the library, looked up at each other and began to listen.

Sure enough, moments later, the hallways were filled with indignant cries and copious amounts of yelling. Moments after that, blue and green bubbles began to flood through the door to the library and spread around the room.

The four boys jumped up and scrambled out into the hallways to view their craftsmanship and enjoy the chaos.

"Sweet Merlin, look," Sirius crowed, glancing down towards the Great Hall. Sure enough, standing in the middle of the foyer, where bubbles of all four colors were meeting and piling up, was Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Nackle. Professor Nackle was bright red and furious, barking orders at all the students nearby, demanding to know who had perpetrated this heinous act and yelling at all the students to help stop the flow of the bubbles. Professor McGonagall stood slightly dumbstruck, clearly unsure of what to do next. Professor Dumbledore, however, had scooped up a handful of bubbles and blown them into the air, smiling slightly.

"I do suppose we ought to stop this, Headmaster," Professor McGonagall finally managed to say.

The Headmaster appeared thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. "I do suppose you have a point, Minerva. And I also believe that to create such a quantity of bubbles as this… it would be wise if we were to search the toilets, Professor. One needs a large amount of water for this potion to work properly."

"What potion is this?" Professor McGonagall headed off in the direction of the nearest toilets with Dumbledore.

"Why Minerva," he smiled at her. "It's a variation on the Mwielo Potion. It commonly comes up on O.W.L.s."

"O.W.L.s? I was certain that Mr. Potter and Mr. Black were behind this."

Professor Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow. "As am I." He scooped up another handful of bubbles. "Impressive, no?"

Sirius turned to look at the other Marauders. He smirked. "We're impressive."

A throat cleared behind them. The boys turned around to see Professor Nackle and Filch standing over them.

"We're in trouble," Peter muttered. "Again."

That evening, Remus, carrying a mop and a bucket, made his way to the library to complete his detention. Filch had split the four boys up and sent them off to clean different areas of the castle. As he entered the library, he was surprised to find Melissa casting a popping charm at pile of bubbles and then mopping up the remains.

"What're you doing here?" Remus sputtered. He'd been so busy the last few weeks that they'd barely spoken.

"Lily and I got into a bit of a fight this afternoon." She shrugged sheepishly. "I… er… well, suffice to say the others got a little involved. I believe Lily was sentenced to clean out the Trophy Room? Becca and Alice are in the dungeons. Tessa… I have no idea where they sent Tessa." She ran a soap covered hand through her hair, turning the bushy curls into a sopping mess and then groaned as she realized what she had just done. "I've been at this for nearly two hours. I've no idea when Filch'll reprieve me. He can't really expect me to clean the entire library, can he?"

"He might, especially now that I've been assigned to it too." Remus gestured at his mop, with the hand holding the bucket.

Melissa groaned.

Remus cast a popping charm on a cluster of bubbles and began to mop up the mess. "What were you and Lily fighting about?"

Melissa turned bright red. "Just… girl stuff. It was stupid. I really shouldn't've let her get to me."

"Are you still friends?" Remus asked, concerned.

Melissa smiled. "Of course, it was just a fight." She paused. "I hope so anyway."

"Hold on, did you say Lily was cleaning the Trophy Room?" Remus hesitated before wringing out his mop.

"Yes, why?"

Remus snickered. "So is James."

"You and James both have detention?"

"We all have detention."

She stopped cleaning for a moment and surveyed the mass of bubbles. "You did this." She glared.

Remus made a face. "The number one rule of being a Marauder is- when questioned 'deny, deny, deny'. Well, maybe not the number one rule, but it's up there."

She sighed. "Alice wondered if it might've been you lot, but Lily said it was an O.W.L. level charm." She looked at him. "I didn't think that would stop you lot."

He grinned. They worked in a companionable silence for a while.

"Read anything interesting lately?" She finally broke the silence.

"Actually-" He paused and then thought, _what the hell_. "I've been reading this book by Cassandra Trelawny."

"Excuse me?" She plunked her mop into her bucket. "You're reading about Divination?"

He raised his eyebrow. "Evidently you know it's about Divination, so you know some stuff about her."

"Tessa."

"Oh, right."

Melissa shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I didn't say I agree with it, but I do believe there are some Seers. She seems like she might be one. It's an interesting read. My grandmum sent it to me."

"Well, that was nice of her." The two continued mopping in silence.

Remus leaned against the wall for a moment. "You?"

"Huh?" Melissa stopped mopping.

"What have you been reading?"

"Another Muggle writer. J.D. Salinger."

"Any good?"

"I like him."

_Why is this so awkward?_ Remus thought. _We talked the entire day at Hogsmeade._

**Yes, but you haven't spoken with her since. Not beyond, pass the parchment, that is.**

You again.

**You always seem surprised when I show up.**

Multiple personalities freaks out many a wizard, I'd imagine.

**Still, maybe the reason this is awkward is because she expected to hear more from you after Hogsmeade.**

But that wasn't a date_ or anything. Our friends ditched us._

**You both knew you easily could've found them instead of going off on your own.**

Oh shut it.

**-**

Well?

**-**

Well are you going to tell me how to fix the awkwardness or what?

**-**

Oh, stop it. Talk again.

**I thought you wanted me to shut it.**

Remus rolled his eyes. _It's lovely when even the voices in your head are against you._

**Tell her that you like her.**

Remus gasped aloud. Melissa glanced over at him with a curious look. He shook his head.

_No way._

He cautiously glanced over at the girl. She'd run her hand through her hair several more times since he'd arrived and she looked like a thoroughly drowned rat. Her glasses kept slipping down her nose and she'd pause occasionally to unceremoniously shove them back up her face. Her robes were tossed over a nearby chair, her shirt sleeves were unbuttoned and rolled up messily to two different lengths and her shirt was becoming untucked where it met her skirt. One of her knee socks was still pulled up, but the other had slid down around her ankle before he even entered the library. He tilted his head in an effort to study her better.

She glanced up and her eyes widened with surprise that he was staring right at her. He blushed bright red and so did she, but she smiled slightly and then quickly went back to mopping. When she smiled he felt the entire room light up.

_I'm in so much trouble._

"I have to work with you?" James sputtered as he noticed the girl popping bubbles and mopping them up in the Trophy Room.

"Potter?" Lily Evans gasped and looked up. "No. No. I am _not_ going to clean this entire room with you. No." She pointed at the doorway. "Get out. The entire castle is filled with bubbles. Go find another room."

"They're gone."

"What?"

"They're gone. Filch had the professors leave specific parts for us to clean, but the rest of the bubbles are gone."

Lily dropped her mop into the mess of bubbles and put her hands on her hips. "I am not serving my detention with _you_."

"Miss Evans-"

Lily gasped as Professor McGonagall appeared in the doorway. "I am certain a bright young lady such as yourself understands that a detention is a punishment and not a holiday where the one serving said detention may choose their companions. I will also remind you that while Mr. Potter may well have submerged the better part of the castle in bubbles with his companions, at no time did _he_ actually inflict pain on anyone. It would be to your benefit to think about such things while you mop. Detention is punishment, not a social engagement."

"Yes, ma'am." Lily began searching through the suds for her mop.

Professor McGonagall peered into the room one last time before continuing down the hallway.

James looked over and noticed Lily still searching through the suds for her mop. He crossed to where she was standing and used his own mop to push the suds out of the way for her.

She quickly found and grabbed her mop, still glaring at him.

"You're welcome, Evans." He stalked back across to where he'd put his bucket down and began to clean.

"This is going to be a long night," she muttered under her breath and went back to cleaning.

__

Author's Note: Sorry the snippets are kind of short and not really detailed. I've got wicked writers block and I've noticed that sometimes the way to get around it is just to try to keep writing… so when that happens you get these bizarre, disjointed little snippets. I'm working on a couple of ideas that go deeper into the Marauder world. I think. :oP


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